Swiatek calms Kanepi storm to advance to semifinals in Melbourne

Despite a subpar performance in the opening set, Iga Swiatek was able to right the ship as she outlasted Kaia Kanepi to reach the final four at the Australian Open.

Swiatek rallied from a set down to pull off a 2-6 7-6(2) 6-3 victory, relying on her expertise and experience in high-pressure situations that has seen her ascend the WTA rankings. However, the 2020 Roland Garros champion looked out of sorts in the first set, hitting six double faults and failing to capitalize on any of her four break point opportunities. Sensing her opponent's struggles, Kanepi was quick to exploit the polish star's inconsistency, forcing her into long rallies that resulted in Swiatek producing several errors. This led to the Estonian eventually obtaining the vital break that saw her claim the first set.

Both ladies exchanged breaks in the second set, with a tiebreak ensuing soon after. It was the seventh seed who produced some of her best tennis of the match to sweep through the breaker, and force a decider.

The final set saw both competitors exchange early breaks, until Swiatek garnered a second break to lead 3-2. The Polish star served for the match at 5-2, but Kanepi broke back to extend the match. Nonetheless, the World No.115 was unable to build off her momentum, as a backhand error finally sent her home and her exhausted opponent to the semifinals.

Following this three hour slugfest, Swiatek will take on 27th seed Danielle Collins, who defeated Alize Cornet to reach the semifinals for the second time at Melbourne Park.