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Ashleigh Barty has come a long way since her last showdown with Madison Keys at Roland Garros two years ago when she was humbled by the American in the first round, 6-3 and 6-2. On Thursday, she redeemed the result – and won her first Grand Slam semifinal – with a 6-3, 7-5 win over the Keys.
"The whole game was very close," Barty said. "I've grabbed my only opportunity I had in the first set – it's just amazing – I have the impression of playing good tennis."
She had to play well because Keys did not play badly. Keys has her big serve and huge shots to bail her – she hit eight aces on both sets – while Barty sits on his cut and net to disrupt the pace of his opponents. Barty's service was the most stable of the two on Thursday, as she did not give up a game of service until she had her first chance to serve the match at 5-4.
Barty was surprised to reach his first major semifinal on clay, but his net play nevertheless works with the slow surface. She relentlessly put pressure on the American and scored points in the net, winning eleven out of 12 of the intervention.
"It's amazing, I've learned every day tennis on clay," said the 23-year-old, who also won the doubles title of Rome. "I enjoyed it, I loved it."
Barty and Keys have played only twice, the latest in the Fed Cup earlier this year. The Australian easily won. Barty entered this clash at Roland Garros with a remarkable lead in terms of standings at an eighth career summit. Keys nevertheless has more experience of the second week at Slams, as a finalist of the US Open 2017 and semifinalist major twice.
The 23-year-old Australian has had a memorable season with a final round in Sydney, a quarterfinal in Melbourne and her fourth and biggest single career title in Miami. This is her first time in the Top 10, but there is no doubt that she belongs to it. And now, she can confidently say that she belongs to the semifinals of the Grand Slam.
She will face Amanda Anisimova, 17, after the teenager ousted defending champion Simona Halep just minutes before Barty won.
"She's playing amazing tennis," said Barty. "To reach the semi-finals of a Slam, you have to do what's right, beat the one she had to beat, it's an exciting opportunity for both of us and I'm sure that we will enjoy it tomorrow. "
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