A day after being labelled "cheat" for hitting a return off Ema Navarro despite the ball bouncing twice in the Australia Open quarterfinal, Iga Swiatek once again found herself in the middle of criticism during her semi-final match against Madison Keys. The World No.2 called for a toilet break when Keys made a staggering comeback to win the second set 6-1 after losing the first 5-7. While Keys returned to the court on time and was ready to serve to start the third and final set, there was no sign of Swiatek. The American even asked the chair umpire to look into the matter.

Swiatek finally made her way to the court, but before straightaway positioning herself for the receive, she was seen doing shadow practice for some time, much to Keys's dismay and displeasure. The 19th seed, however, gave the perfect by landing a perfect ace to draw her first blood in the decider.

Swiatek's act was heavily criticised on social media, with people calling her antics "dirty tactics". The 19th seed battled through a thrilling semi-final on a final-set tiebreak against the world number two 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10/8) after Sabalenka swept aside Paula Badosa in straight sets.

Swiatek's dirty tactics are back.

She loses the set 6-1 and makes Keys wait on her to serve. Keys clearly not happy pic.twitter.com/YJ3OpPdubU

— ATP WTA DRAMA ALERT (@tennisooc) January 23, 2025

This was Madison Keys while waiting for Iga Swiatek to come back from her long toilet break. She tells the umpire to check the time

This was all before Swiatek started fighting with shadows after TIME was called by umpire already. pic.twitter.com/pJLiCLx87n

— Spazz (@OxSpazz) January 23, 2025

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek had maintained her serve without being broken since the opening round; however, she was broken eight times by Keys, who saved a match point during a fiercely contested match.

This marks the American's first final in Melbourne and only her second Grand Slam final, as she was overcome with emotion after securing victory in 2 hours and 35 minutes.

This semi-final was notable for being the first at the Australian Open to be decided by a third-set 10-point tiebreak.

"The level of play in that match was incredibly high, and she performed exceptionally well," stated Keys, 29.

"I felt as though I was merely trying to stay in the match, and then I really gained momentum in the second set, while the third set turned into a true struggle.

"Being here and reaching the finals is absolutely incredible, and I am thrilled to be competing on Saturday."

The outcome hinged on "one or two balls," according to Swiatek.

"I believe Madison was quite courageous with her choices at the end and applied pressure when necessary," remarked the 23-year-old Pole.

"I felt less liberated than in my previous matches, which affected my ability to seize the crucial moments."

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