Craig Gabriel: Australian Open commentator on the match between Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek

We’ve reached the pointy end of the Australian Open. 

Aryna Sabalenka will meet American Madison Keys in the final of the Australian tennis Open women's draw on Saturday, Keys eliminating Iga Swiatek in dramatic circumstances. 

The men’s semifinals play out this evening, their championship taking place Sunday. 

Australian Open Commentator Craig Gabriel told Ryan Bridge that it was an extraordinary clash between Swiatek and Keys, with Swiatek the favourite to continue through to the finals. 

Keys saved a match point, Gabriel said, and the game went the complete other way than expected.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We've reached the pointy end of the Australian Open. There's
been plenty happening on the court and just as much
happening off it as we've been covering this week. Madison Keys,
Arena Saberlenka. That progressed to the women's singles finals which
are on Saturday. The men's semis play out this evening,
with the championship happening Sunday. Craig Gabriel Australian Open commentators
with US.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Craig, good morning, Hey Ryan, good to be with you
at this ridiculous hour that we've been putting with the
hours we've been putting through over here was another eatingly,
excruciatingly late night over here.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah, tell us about it.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Well. Arena Saberlenka helped us all by getting through her
match relatively well, six four six two, defeating Palabadosa, a
very good friend. Then we got the match of the tournament.
In fact, I would even say it's going to be
a match of the year candidate. There was such an

(00:56):
extraordinary clash between EGO srion Tech and Madison Keys. It
was the sixth meeting between them and srion Tek was
a hot favorite to go through to the final at
the Australian Open for the first time, and it just
went totally the other way and it was just breathtaking

(01:18):
tennis at times, and Keys saved a match point and
ended up winning five to seven, six ' one seven
six to reach her first Australian Open final and the
second time she's reached the final of a major in
her career. The last time was nearly eight years ago
in twenty seventeen at the US Open. She lost to
her very good friend Sloan Stevens on that occasion, but

(01:40):
this was just, I mean, superb tennis. So I was
lost for words on a number of occasions with the
shots that were played and the atmosphere and the excitement
that was on show brilliant.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
So Keys gets through in Seberlinka. That's Saturday, and today Jokovic.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
Today we've got the men semifinals and it'll be Yanik
Sinner against Ben Shelton and then Novak Djokovic will be
playing Alexander Zverev. So going into the Sinner Shelton match,
Yanik leads for one on their head to head Sorry,
Shelton beat Sinner the first time they played, which was
in October twenty three in Shanghai. They've played four times

(02:22):
since and Shelton has not won a set from Sinner
in those matches. And then going in on the Djokovic
Zverev match, Novak leads their series eight to four. He
won the last time that they played. The last time
Zverev won over Djokovic was twenty twenty one, So I look,

(02:42):
this is going to be another interesting match and depending
on how Novak pulls up after the injury that happened
in his previous round against Carlos al Karaz, will be
curious to see. But you know, at the moment he's
probably favored on that one slightly.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Greig, thank you for that. Craig Gabriel, Australian Open commentary
with US Live from Melbourne.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
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