Ben Shelton, Madison Keys become first American joint Australian Open semifinalists since 2009

Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Ben Shelton and Madison Keys became the first American man and woman to reach the Australian Open semifinals in the same year since 2009, with respective quarterfinal triumphs Wednesday in Melbourne.

No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy and No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland also earned trips to the semifinals, triggering respective men's and women's singles meetings with Shelton and Keys.

"I'm really proud of myself to be in another semifinal here," Keys told reporters. "I'm kinda hoping and looking forward to see if I can make it one step further."

Keys was first to advance. The No. 14 player in the WTA singles rankings beat No. 27 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena. Keys totaled 49 winners and converted 2 of 9 break point chances in the 1-hour, 53-minute quarterfinal. She also held a 6-3 advantage in aces.

Swiatek proceeded to oust No. 8 Emma Navarro, denying an All-American semifinal between Keys and her quarterfinal foe. The No. 2 player in the world totaled 22 winners and converted 5 of 9 break points in the 6-1, 6-2 victory. Navarro hit 15 winners and failed to convert her lone break point chance.

"Today was tougher than the score says, but I'm happy that I'm in the semis," Swiatek said.

The Polish tennis star is 4-1 in career matches against the American, but the two will meet for the first time at a Grand Slam. The winner of the Swiatek-Keys matchup will face No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus or No. 12 Paula Badosa of Spain in the women's singles final. Sabalenka is looking for her third-consecutive Australian Open title.

"Obviously, she likes to also play intense and pretty fast," Swiatek said of Keys. "She is using her power, especially on the hard court. I need to be ready for that, be proactive and also good on defense. In semifinals, if you play against any opponent, they deserve to be there. It's going to be tough."

On the men's side, Shelton was the first to advance through a Day 11 quarterfinal. The No. 20 player in the ATP rankings needed nearly four hours to eliminate No. 55 Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in four sets. Shelton hit nine aces and 54 winners. The American also converted 3 of 11 break points and logged 33 unforced errors. in the 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4) victory.

Sonego totaled three aces and 63 winners. He converted 2 of 8 break points and committed 55 unforced errors.

"I was just grinding out there, trying to fight through it," Shelton said. "I'm just proud of myself to get through. I definitely feel battle-tested."

Sinner, the No. 1 player in the world, defeated No. 8 Alex de Minaur of Australia in straight sets. The Italian totaled 27 winners and 19 unforced errors. He also converted 6 of 10 break points in the 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 triumph. De Minaur totaled 10 winners and 26 unforced errors in the 1-hour, 48-minute match. He failed to convert is lone break point opportunity.

The winner of the Sinner-Shelton match will face No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany or No. 7 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the men's final. Sinner, the reigning Australian Open champion, is 4-1 in career matches against Shelton, with victories in each of their last four meetings.

"It will be a tough match," Sinner said. "He has one of the biggest serves we have on tour. He is a very aggressive player, an all-around player. He can stay back or go to the net. ... It's a difficult match for both of us. We know each other a little bit better now. We had some tough matches in the last year. Let's see."

Andy Roddick and Serena Williams were the last Americans to reach the semifinals in the same year at the Australian Open. Roddick went on to lose to Roger Federer in his semifinal match. Williams won the 2009 women's singles title in Melbourne.

An encore presentation of the men's and women's quarterfinal matches will air at 1 p.m. EST Wednesday on ESPN2. Sabalenka will meet Badosa in the first women's semifinal at 3:30 a.m. Thursday on ESPN. The Keys-Swiatek match will follow on the same network.

Men's semifinal coverage will start at 10:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN.