Double-bounce drama mars Iga Świątek's swift advance to semis

Iga Świątek has demonstrated her dominance on the court at this year's Australian Open. The Polish player has defeated all her opponents in straight sets, dropping only 14 games on her way to the semi-finals. She hasn't been involved in any tie-breaks, and her 6-1, 6-2 victory over American eighth seed Emma Navarro was no exception.

This has left commentators and her opponents alike struggling to describe her style of play, but one word that keeps recurring is "ruthless." Navarro, speaking about her opponent, said, "She's really quick, and she does everything with 100 percent conviction and intensity." She added, "She's tough... I think 'ruthless' is a good word."

Świątek stated, "You do need to be ruthless on the tennis court." She explained, "Usually 'ruthless' also means something negative. But I think for me, it's important to focus on myself and keep the same attitude no matter what the score is. It’s the base of my power and my consistency... Maybe it looks ruthless, but that's not my goal. I just want to win more matches."

Despite Świątek's strong performance, her victory over Navarro on Wednesday was overshadowed by a controversial double-bounce incident. The incident occurred at a crucial moment in the second set when Świątek had a game point at 2-2. Świątek received a ball, but video replays showed that it had bounced twice before she hit it. The point should have been awarded to Navarro, but the umpire didn't see it, Navarro played on and lost the point, and Świątek won the game.

Navarro questioned the umpire, but was told that because she had not stopped play, she was denied a video-assisted referee (VAR) replay. This prompted her and others to call for a change in the rules. Navarro said, "I think even if you play on, you should be able to look at it after the point. Things happen so fast." She also stated, "I don't know if she knew. Yeah, at the end of the day, it's the umpire's call. It is what it is, I guess. It's hard to blame anyone. It's a tough call."

Navarro said she did not think the controversial call cost her the match or changed the momentum of the game, but she did not win another game after the incident. Świątek said she was unsure at the time whether the ball had bounced twice before she touched it. "I wasn't sure if it was a double bounce or if I hit it with the frame of my racquet," she said, "It was hard to say because I was sprinting. So I wasn't sure. I think it's the umpire's job, you know. I was also waiting for VAR, but I didn't see, so I just played on. I was already focused on the next ball."

But she believes there is nothing wrong with the rules, which are similar to previous “challenges,” where a player must stop play mid-rally if they want a review. The controversy echoes a similar incident late last year when Jack Draper inadvertently hit the ball into the ground, and it bounced up, hit the cord of the net, and trickled over. That was a match point he won in his fourth-round match against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Cincinnati Open last August.

The incident drew much criticism of Draper, who was forced to withdraw from his match against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open after three grueling five-set matches. There was also a double-bounce drama on Rod Laver Arena when Lorenzo Sonego called for a review as Ben Shelton was returning in their quarter-final. The umpire confirmed the ball had indeed bounced twice before Shelton hit it, and the American, after seeing the video, said “your point” twice with a mischievous smile.

Świątek carries a significant weight of expectation. Despite her long reign at the top of women's tennis, the current world No. 2 could regain her former world No. 1 ranking if she wins the Australian Open. Świątek is a five-time grand slam champion, but she herself admits to underperforming in grand slams outside of the French Open, which she has won four times. Świątek's progression to the semi-finals excitingly suggests a final showdown between the world No. 2 and the two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.

A match-up between the pair in a grand slam final has been something the tennis world has been eagerly anticipating, particularly after Świątek’s victory in an epic three-set match at the Madrid Open last year. “Well, who’s going to say that women’s tennis is boring now, right?” Świątek said after the win. But to achieve that final, Sabalenka must beat the in-form Paula Badosa, and Świątek must overcome Madison Keys, who just won the title in Adelaide.

Keys came back from a set down to beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday. Keys has a 1-4 head-to-head record against Świątek, but she did win their most recent encounter at Cincinnati in 2022. "Iga is really hard to beat because she has so much natural spin on both sides," Keys said. She also added, "She serves well, returns well. She moves incredibly well. The biggest reason why she's so hard to beat is because she moves so well, and if you miss your spot just a little bit, she has enough time to recover, and then the point is back to neutral."

Keys' win on Wednesday put her into the semi-finals of this tournament for the first time in a decade, her first time reaching this milestone being in 2015. She said that while her goal remains to win a grand slam, she has learned to appreciate her career and is not as fixated on fulfilling her potential as she once was. "If I could go back, I would just say to try to enjoy it a little bit more and maybe not put so much pressure on myself," she said, "It took a lot of the fun out of it and sometimes it just felt like paralysis on the court."