Madison Keys made it to the semifinals of the US Open for the third time in her career thanks to a straight set win.
The 17th seed appeared impressive when silencing the 2023 Wimbledon champion, Marketa Vondrousova, 6-1, 6-4 in the 2023 US Open quarter-finals.
The runner-up’s win in New York in the 2017 season over the ninth seed, Vondrousova, was the second consecutive win for the tennis player over a player ranked in the top 10. In the round of 16, she only lost four games when she beat her compatriot and world number 3, Jessica Pegula. For the first time he was able to achieve consecutive wins over players ranked in the top 10 since advancing to the semifinals of the Australian Open in the 2022 season.
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Meanwhile, the Czech tennis player, Vondrousova, had not been able to get beyond the round of 16 in New York before this week. He bagged his 11th straight Grand Slam victory when he entered the first meeting against the host tennis player who advanced to the second Grand Slam quarter-final in a row after qualifying for the Wimbledon quarter-finals some time ago.
The 17th seed dominated the 39-minute first set as he built a 5-0 lead and saved all three break point opportunities he faced. He also beat the ninth seed from the baseline and played well to keep the ninth seed under pressure.
“I always try to play maybe longer balls and this time I felt I was under pressure,” Vondrousova admitted. “Yeah, there’s not much I can do, to be honest. It was very challenging.”
Trying to keep the points as short as possible to limit the ninth seed’s creativity in building points, the home player easily won the first set. Only eight rallies involved more than five strokes and he limited each rally to an average of 3.27 strokes.
“I’ve been really focused on my serve,” said Madison Keys. “I feel like I’m just trying to pick my targets and be really smart about it. I think on a pitch like this, for the most part, the important thing is to handle the ball well enough. So, there’s no need to rush into everything.”
In order to return to the US Open final for the second time, Keys will duel against the second seed and another Grand Slam champion, Aryna Sabalenka.
