Iga Świątek, Danielle Collins to face off in Australian Open semifinals

Polish seventh seed Iga Świątek has edged closer to a second major singles title after setting up an Australian Open semifinal with American Danielle Collins.

Świątek clawed her way to an epic 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 win over Kaia Kanepi in just over three hours, consigning the 36-year-old Estonian to a seventh defeat in major quarterfinals.

Collins returned to the semifinals after a ruthless straight-sets victory over unseeded French veteran Alizé Cornet, 7-5, 6-1.

«This match was crazy and without the energy of the stadium it would have been hard to win,» Świątek said in her on-court interview.

«In my match against Sorana (Cîrstea) they (her support team) told me that they believe I'm going to win even though I lost the first set, so I remembered that today.»

Świątek was a shock winner at the 2020 French Open at the age of 19.

Kanepi needed nine tortuous set points before locking down the first 6-4, in shades of her quarterfinal win over world number two Aryna Sabalenka when she blew four match points to send the contest to a tiebreak.

Momentum swung Świątek's way as she raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set but the gritty Kanepi roared back to level, before the young Pole clinched it in a tiebreak.

In a repeat of her three-set quarterfinal victory over Sorana Cîrstea, Świątek was never headed in the deciding set to book her spot in the final four.

Collins and Cornet fought toe to toe in the opening set before the American lifted a gear in the second to sweep through the match in an hour and 28 minutes.

The 27th seed made the last four at Melbourne Park in 2019.

She is the second American into this year's last four, joining Madison Keys, who plays world number one Ash Barty on Thursday.

Collins underwent surgery last year to treat