Iga Swiatek wins 3-hour match vs. Kaia Kanepi in afternoon heat to join Danielle Collins in Australian Open semifinals

MELBOURNE, Australia — Iga Swiatek took three hours in the afternoon heat to beat 36-year-old Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 on Wednesday, with the payoff being a spot in the Australian Open semifinals against Danielle Collins.

“This match was crazy,” said the 20-year-old 2020 French Open winner. “First set I think my mistake was I had so many break points, I felt like I missed my chances. In the second set, I felt like she’s playing so fast that I can’t be tight. I had to finish my forehands.”

The temperature hit 97 degrees Fahrenheit on Day 10, continuing a week of hot days at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.

Collins won the opening match on Rod Laver Arena before the heat peaked, swinging it in her favor with a key service break in the final game of the opening set on her way to a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Alize Cornet.

No. 115-ranked Kanepi made her Grand Slam debut in 2006 but was playing in the quarterfinals in Australia for the first time, completing a career set after making it to the last eight twice at each of the sport’s three other major tournaments.

She was coming off an upset, three-set win over No. 2-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and took the game to Swiatek, who saved nine set points before losing the first set.

Swiatek rallied in the second, exchanging service breaks twice before winning it in a tiebreaker.

There was another exchange of breaks early in the third set, and Swiatek was broken again when she was serving for the match in the eighth game. She eventually clinched on Kanepi’s serve, scrambling to stay in the point until the Estonian player sent a forehand wide.

After the first three quarterfinals were decided in straight sets — Ash Barty beat Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys beat Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday — the last one went all the way.

As she left the court, Swiatek wrote on the TV camera lens: “Thank you for the support. #Tired.”

Collins’ win means there are two Americans in the last four. Keys, the 2017 US Open runner-up, will…