Advertising

When a match ends 6-1, 6-2, as it did in Iga Swiatek's favor in her Australian Open quarterfinal on Wednesday, you have to dig deep for any semblance of drama. But say the words "double bounce," and visions of last year's squabble between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jack Draper likely comes to mind.

That missed call—"horrendous," said the incredulous Canadian—was so egregious because it occurred on match point. Did we just witness the turning point in the issue of tennis’ lack of a video review system? we wondered.

Such a replay system have been helpful to Emma Navarro, who like Auger-Aliassime was on the wrong end of a no call. At 2-2 in the second set, shortly after the 8th-seeded American had earned her first break point of the match, Navarro reached game point. She hit what appeared to be an unretrievable drop shot, until Swiatek scampered quickly enough to track it down. Or so we thought:

Advertising

Televsion replay clearly showed that Swiatek got her racquet on the ball just after it bounced twice; two shots later, the point was hers. Navarro would have needed to stop play immediately to try and get the call reversed or the point replayed, and you can understand why that split-second decision would have been risky.

Still, it's a shame there was no way to rectify the miss. Navarro was already dealing with Swiatek's baseline biitz—she didn't need another thing going against her.

To the 23-year-old's credit, she didn't let the issue affect her, though she did briefly question the chair umpire.

Advertising

But even though Navarro kept her cool, Swiatek was too hot to handle.

"Emma tested her that second set, she pushed her," said ESPN's Mary Jo Fernandez.

But that second set lasted just eight games, with Swiatek winning six. The quote speaks to the five-time Grand Slam champion's astonishing form.

The Pole has lost just 14 total games in five matches. In her past four matches, she hasn't been taken beyond 6-2. Against Navarro, Swiatek won 82 percent of first-serve points, broke serve five times and won 67 points to her opponents' 45.

Iga Swiatek is posting Roland Garros-like scores at the Australian Open.

Iga Swiatek is posting Roland Garros-like scores at the Australian Open.

Advertising

Still, Swiatek was modest in victory.

"I think it was much more tougher than the score says," said Swiatek after reaching her second career Australian Open semifinal. "Emma's a fighter, so I knew she's not gonna pull back. I wanted to stay focused to the end and keep my intensity."

Madison Keys, who rallied past Elina Svitolina in three sets earlier, is Swiatek's next test. She'll be a sizable favorite, given her past with the American—Swiatek has won four of five meetings—her present form, and her clear ambition for the future: a first Aussie Open title.