Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff were the the US women’s players receiving the most attention before and during the US Open. They had earned that from their work to become the #1 and #2 American players in the world. 2017 finalist Madison Keys slipped under the radar by comparison. She has actually had quite a solid season overall even before the tournament at Flushing Meadows began. But her chances at the US Open were not being viewed in the same way as Pegula and Gauff.
Keys has now radically changed those initial perceptions. The 28-year-old produced a phenomenal performance to power past her higher ranked countrywoman. The crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium were split in their support from the beginning due to two Americans playing. However, there was a sense of near astonishment at the level of Keys throughout the contest. It was another upset after Iga Swiatek’s loss to Jelena Ostapenko.
Story of the Match
Keys quickly took advantage of the conditions at the US Open. The courts have been slower at this year’s event than some previous years. In addition, it was an extremely humid day in New York, making the balls almost instantly fluffier and heavier. This allowed Keys to set up her shots to hit through the court. Pegula, who is normally so adept at re-directing pace on quicker courts, was constantly on the run.
The recent Montreal champion Pegula looked out of sorts, and got broken twice in the opening set. Keys was not just dominating from the baseline. She gave one of her best ever serving displays, not facing any break points. The recent Wimbledon quarterfinalist hit her spots so well that the somewhat slow conditions did not matter, while Pegula could have used a faster court, like some other years at the US Open.
The pattern of the second set was very similar. Although Pegula held her opening two service games, she was under constant pressure, whilst also completely failing to threaten on the Keys service games at that stage. Another break arrived for Keys due to more massive hitting, combined with well-timed visits to the net.
Pegula did for a brief moment threaten an unlikely comeback when she used her only break point to break the Keys serve. But it was short-lived. An error-strewn game gave Keys another game from a Pegula service game to make it 4-3.
There was no stopping the Keys momentum. She took the match 6-1 6-3 to progress to the quarterfinal of the US Open. Pegula’s hopes of getting past the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam has to wait until at least January when the Australian Open begins.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
