Angelique Kerber continued her amazing Australian Open run with a storming 6-1, 6-2 win over the in-form Madison Keys in the quarter-finals.
Kerber, 30, had won the title back in 2016, and had held the No.1 ranking. However, she was seeded just 21st this year in Melbourne after a horrible 2017 that had seen her fail to qualify for a single grand slam.
Both women were arguably the in-form players on the women’s side of the draw. Keys had not dropped a set in the tournament, whilst Kerber had dropped just one, in the last round to Su-Wei Hsieh.
It was Kerber who dominated from the start. Breaking in the first game, the German then saved break points in her own first service game. She then sealed the double break, before breaking yet again to take the set.
Kerber made a similar start in the second. Holding to start, the German then broke and held again for a 3-0 lead. What then followed was the only minor blip in the Kerber game. Keys held, before securing her only break of the Kerber serve to briefly get back on serve.
However, the American would never again reach parity in the set, as she was immediately broken again. Kerber would go on to win the final three games in the match to reach the semi-finals.
Despite the one-sided nature of the win on the scoreboard, Kerber insisted the match was different. “Every game was close in the second set, I am just pleased to get through and be again in the semi-finals here,” said Kerber.
Kerber looks the in-form player at the Australian Open this year. The former champion in Melbourne and Wimbledon, she’ll face either World No.1 Simona Halep, or No.6 Karolina Pliskova in the semi-finals, in what would be a great match-up.
