Madison Keys has reached her second Australian Open semi-final with a straight-sets win over fourth seed Barbora Krejčíková.
The American had already knocked out world number six Paula Badosa in the fourth round and this latest victory is yet another statement of intent.
Having won her sixth WTA title at the Adelaide International 2 at the start of the year, Keys is now on a run of 10 consecutive wins.
Standing between her and a place in the final is world number one Ashleigh Barty –– who is yet to drop a set this tournament.
But Keys will feel as though she can beat anyone on current form and will enter the match with nothing to lose.
Here are five things to know about the talented American star:
US Open final
Back in 2017, Keys reached the final of the US Open but lost to close friend and compatriot Sloane Stephens.
The tournament marked the first time an American had reached a Grand Slam final, other than the Williams sisters, since Lindsey Davenport in 2005.
A year later, Keys put together another good run in New York –– dropping just one set en route to the semi-finals, before losing to eventual winner Naomi Osaka.
Olympic semi-final
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Keys was seeded seventh and made it all the way to the semi-finals.
Her chance of a gold medal was ended by Germany’s Angelique Kerber, while her hopes of bronze were dashed by two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová.
The 26-year-old did not compete in Tokyo last year as she was not one of the top four ranked American’s in the world.
Venus Williams’ influence
Keys says her passion for tennis started from the age of four when she watched Wimbledon on television for the first time
The US star remembers watching Venus Williams and asking for the same white dress the five-time Wimbledon champion was wearing.
Her parents offered to get her one if she started playing tennis and the rest is history.
WTA debut
Keys turned professional in February 2009, just as she turned 14-years-old.
On her debut at the Ponte Vedra Beach Championships, she defeated Alla Kudryavtseva, who was ranked 81st at the time, in straight sets.
This made Keys the seventh youngest player to win a WTA tour match and the youngest since Martina Hingis in 1994.
Ambassador for anti-bullying campaign
Keys is an ambassador for Fearlessly Girl –– an organisation dedicated to fighting bullying and cyber-bullying.
In February 2020, the American relaunched Fearlessly Girl into a nonprofit organisation called Kindness Wins.
The organisation has partnered with other similarly minded groups who are aiming to make the world a better place.
