Zürcher Nachrichten - Barty wary of 'exceptional' Keys, Collins ready for 'strong' Swiatek

EUR -
AED 4.100113
AFN 77.023391
ALL 99.447336
AMD 432.838798
ANG 2.014767
AOA 1036.468947
ARS 1074.711254
AUD 1.636359
AWG 2.00931
AZN 1.92827
BAM 1.957305
BBD 2.257155
BDT 133.59389
BGN 1.965384
BHD 0.42068
BIF 3230.523246
BMD 1.116283
BND 1.443523
BOB 7.725007
BRL 6.061866
BSD 1.117969
BTN 93.496501
BWP 14.707659
BYN 3.658545
BYR 21879.148453
BZD 2.253342
CAD 1.512678
CDF 3204.849171
CHF 0.945843
CLF 0.037658
CLP 1039.103456
CNY 7.8899
CNH 7.892758
COP 4648.481834
CRC 579.080293
CUC 1.116283
CUP 29.581502
CVE 110.791537
CZK 25.09505
DJF 198.385833
DKK 7.459342
DOP 67.201269
DZD 147.957368
EGP 54.174306
ERN 16.744246
ETB 128.657351
FJD 2.453423
FKP 0.850115
GBP 0.840299
GEL 3.047465
GGP 0.850115
GHS 17.524653
GIP 0.850115
GMD 76.468857
GNF 9658.645645
GTQ 8.64172
GYD 233.81355
HKD 8.700707
HNL 27.731566
HRK 7.589621
HTG 147.324568
HUF 394.065769
IDR 16940.712088
ILS 4.213405
IMP 0.850115
INR 93.347554
IQD 1462.33084
IRR 46987.14472
ISK 152.305694
JEP 0.850115
JMD 175.63501
JOD 0.791107
JPY 159.436514
KES 144.00081
KGS 94.074773
KHR 4543.271796
KMF 492.672047
KPW 1004.654143
KRW 1482.736164
KWD 0.3404
KYD 0.931512
KZT 535.361582
LAK 24653.111884
LBP 100018.964577
LKR 340.294632
LRD 216.83831
LSL 19.529721
LTL 3.296094
LVL 0.675228
LYD 5.325093
MAD 10.841334
MDL 19.50581
MGA 5036.894411
MKD 61.664335
MMK 3625.643914
MNT 3793.12987
MOP 8.973393
MRU 44.333165
MUR 51.204203
MVR 17.14598
MWK 1937.867679
MXN 21.522362
MYR 4.699547
MZN 71.274774
NAD 19.535528
NGN 1831.060868
NIO 41.137015
NOK 11.702609
NPR 149.612347
NZD 1.786209
OMR 0.429724
PAB 1.117969
PEN 4.180462
PGK 4.438412
PHP 62.045802
PKR 310.92129
PLN 4.272947
PYG 8726.786438
QAR 4.075633
RON 4.974608
RSD 117.069099
RUB 102.892984
RWF 1505.388617
SAR 4.18887
SBD 9.288327
SCR 15.203375
SDG 671.44267
SEK 11.337749
SGD 1.441813
SHP 0.850115
SLE 25.504058
SLL 23407.892397
SOS 638.896842
SRD 33.324404
STD 23104.806079
SVC 9.781519
SYP 2804.694667
SZL 19.535619
THB 37.004871
TJS 11.882003
TMT 3.906991
TND 3.375641
TOP 2.623048
TRY 37.953999
TTD 7.59799
TWD 35.642385
TZS 3041.24574
UAH 46.326211
UGX 4151.228228
USD 1.116283
UYU 45.925303
UZS 14242.075436
VEF 4043794.116249
VES 40.994414
VND 27438.238213
VUV 132.52737
WST 3.12276
XAF 656.485163
XAG 0.03591
XAU 0.000431
XCD 3.016811
XDR 0.828544
XOF 656.461621
XPF 119.331742
YER 279.433556
ZAR 19.537637
ZMK 10047.88601
ZMW 29.093234
ZWL 359.442698
  • RBGPF

    3.5000

    60.5

    +5.79%

  • RYCEF

    0.4000

    6.95

    +5.76%

  • CMSC

    0.0650

    25.12

    +0.26%

  • RELX

    0.7600

    48.13

    +1.58%

  • NGG

    -1.2200

    68.83

    -1.77%

  • RIO

    2.2700

    65.18

    +3.48%

  • GSK

    -0.8100

    41.62

    -1.95%

  • SCS

    -0.8000

    13.31

    -6.01%

  • BTI

    -0.3100

    37.57

    -0.83%

  • CMSD

    0.0300

    25.01

    +0.12%

  • BCC

    7.6300

    144.69

    +5.27%

  • AZN

    0.3200

    78.9

    +0.41%

  • VOD

    -0.1700

    10.06

    -1.69%

  • JRI

    -0.0400

    13.4

    -0.3%

  • BCE

    -0.4200

    35.19

    -1.19%

  • BP

    0.3300

    32.76

    +1.01%

Barty wary of 'exceptional' Keys, Collins ready for 'strong' Swiatek
Barty wary of 'exceptional' Keys, Collins ready for 'strong' Swiatek

Barty wary of 'exceptional' Keys, Collins ready for 'strong' Swiatek

Ashleigh Barty is wary of "exceptional athlete" Madison Keys but the resurgent American knows she will need more than supreme fitness to outsmart the top seed and make the Australian Open final.

Text size:

Barty is renowned as one of the best tacticians in the game and has out-thought and out-played all her opponents so far, in devastating fashion.

Heading into their semi-final on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday, the world number one has dropped just 17 games in her five matches at Melbourne Park without losing a set.

As well as "problem-solving" her way out of tricky moments, Barty has developed an exceptional all-court game which beaten quarter-final opponent Jessica Pegula said "picks you apart".

The unseeded Keys, who made the last four in 2015 and lost to eventual champion Serena Williams, said it was important for her to "continue to focus on my side of the net".

But she also knows Barty's dangerous backhand slice -- which courtside interviewer Jim Courier compared to Roger Federer -- must be blunted.

"I think she does such a good job at resetting the point constantly, being able to get back to neutral off of a ball," she said.

"You can't do a ton off of her slice because it comes in so low."

Two-time Grand Slam winner Barty is aiming to become the first Australian woman to win her home Grand Slam since Chris O'Neill in 1978 and will start as favourite.

But the down-to-earth Australian is taking nothing for granted against a player who has beaten 2020 champion Sofia Kenin, eighth seed Paula Badosa and fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova.

"Maddie is an exceptional athlete, she has a great serve, great first strike off the return and off her first ball after her serve," she said.

"A lot of the time it's about trying to put her in an uncomfortable position, try and get her off-balance, because if she controls the centre of the court the match is on her racquet."

- 'It's gonna be hard' - -

In the second semi-final, Polish seventh seed Iga Swiatek faces 27th-seeded American Danielle Collins, who is enjoying a second wind after surgery took away the pain that was hampering her game.

Big-hitting Collins said she expected the 2020 French Open champion to be "very relentless, powerful, strong".

But after making the semis at Melbourne Park in 2019, the 28-year-old believes she now has the experience to press on.

"Now that I've made quarter-finals at French and semi-finals here before, I think I can use those experiences to certainly help me in the tight-pressure moments on court. I can use that to my advantage," she said.

"Last time I was here in the semi-finals I had never done that before. Hopefully I can carry the confidence that I've gained over the last couple years and be able to use that to my advantage."

Swiatek is still just 20 but has also gained huge experience since her French Open triumph, and is in the second week for a sixth consecutive Grand Slam.

But this is the first time she made the last four away from the Paris clay.

"I will approach it the same as any other match, really. I have played with some heavy hitters in this tournament already, so I feel like I'm feeling their game on my racquet pretty well," she said.

"For sure it's gonna be hard, and she's in great shape, you can see that, and really confident. But I also feel that way."

Ranked nine, Swiatek is projected to move to fourth in the world and could go as high as three if she wins the title.

D.Smith--NZN