Madison Keys vs. Serena Williams: Australian Open 2015 Prediction and Preview
Having toppled one Williams sister on the way to her maiden Grand Slam semi-final, Madison Keys will be looking to repeat the trick when she goes up against top seed Serena at the Australian Open.
Keys has emerged as one of the most exciting young stars in the game as of late and has showcased her extraordinary talent in earnest in Melbourne. The 19-year-old boasted the requisite class and composure to topple Venus in the quarter-finals and fill feel as though she has nothing to lose whatsoever coming into this one.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Against Serena, she’s coming up against a thoroughbred champion, though. The American is looking to make it 19 Grand Slam wins and her quarter-final humbling of Dominika Cibulkova was an emphatic indication that she’s not far off her very best form.
Here’s a closer look at both players on the cusp of what should be an engrossing spectacle.
Williams on the March For Six Australian Open Win
While Williams hasn’t been at her sparkling best throughout the entirety of this tournament, over the years she’s accrued the ability to get over the line in tight situations and when the pressure is on, come up with big moments. Indeed, every time she’s got to this stage of the competition in Melbourne before she’s gone on to lift the trophy.
As noted here by Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times, the 33-year-old’s impressive conversion rate spans across all the Grand Slam events:
But there have been some small signs of vulnerability that will encourage her young opponent heading into this one. On a couple of occasions in Melbourne, Williams has started very sluggishly against bright young opponents, losing the first sets of her matches against Elina Svitolina and Garbine Muguruza.
As noted here by BBC Tennis, the American admitted she’s been feeling a little out of sorts as of late too:
Does Keys have a fair chance then? Admittedly, facing Serena is a much more difficult task that going up against Venus, but the teenager executed here game-plan with distinction against the 34-year-old; if she can start with a comparable swagger in the semi-finals, it’ll be intriguing to see whether her illustrious opponent can recover.
ESPN Tennis took a closer look at just how Keys managed to shock Venus in the previous round:
"Did you catch Madison Keys' win over Venus Williams? Mary Joe Fernandez and Pam Shriver analyze how she did it: http://t.co/QEGs2xMiSv
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 28, 2015"
Worryingly for Keys, it doesn’t look as though she’ll be at peak fitness coming into this one either. During her previous match the 19-year-old was clearly suffering a recurrence of a thigh injury that hampered her progress at Wimbledon last year. Here’s a look at the incident, per the tournament’s official Twitter account:
Keys admitted in the aftermath that she has some longstanding issues with this area of her leg, per BBC Sport:
"It was definitely kind of a flashback to Wimbledon for me. I have had some problems with that part of my leg, so it was kind of an overwhelming moment.
It was kind of scary but luckily I was able to catch it before I did any real damage to it.
"
With both players clearly feeling the wear and tear of a Grand Slam tournament, you’d have to fancy the battle-hardened, experienced Williams to be too strong for her young compatriot here.
Keys should start the quicker of the two players and buoyed by the adrenaline of being in her first Grand Slam semi-final, will have enough to take the first stanza. But it’s a scenario Williams has encountered on myriad occasions throughout her distinguished career; once she settles into a rhythm in the match, Keys won’t be able to handle the class of the 18-time Grand Slam winner.
Prediction: Williams to win in three sets.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
