By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 21, 2026
Photo credit: Cincinnati Open Facebook
Stars adorning her hair, Sara Bejlek is lighting up this Cincinnati draw as a star slayer.
A fearless Bejlek won five of the last six points edging Madison Keys 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) to fight into her first WTA 1000 semifinal in a Cincinnati Open thriller today.
How tight was it?
Each woman converted three of 10 break point chances and won exactly 107 points apiece.
The 20-year-old Czech raised her three-set record to 6-1 with a stirring comeback. Bejlek will face either 2023 champion Coco Gauff or Madrid Open champion Marta Kostyuk for a spot in the final.
The most entertainingly explosive player still standing in Cincinnati stands 5’3”, wears power pink apparel, a star clasp in her hair and has now dismissed three former Grand Slam champions—two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys—to charge into her maiden WTA 1000 semifinal
When the draw came out, we thought the prime Cincinnati Open plot lines would revolve around Sabalenka stalling her slide, Elena Rybakina potentially surpassing the Belarusian and rising to No. 1, Canadian Open champion Iga Swiatek continue her WTA 1000 streak by defending her Cincy crown, Eala Mania electrify the Queen City or a crew of American women possibly becoming the first home player to hoist the title trophy since Coco Gauff in 2023.
Instead, the Cincy Cinderella Bejlek has hijacked the draw and stole the show with a gritty, creative and fun all-court game predicated on her eye-popping quickness, fine finesse around net and skill shifting her spins and angles.
Ranked No. 111 at this time last year, Abu Dhabi champion Bejlek has risen to a new career-high ranking of No. 29 in the Live Rankings with today’s triumph.
How does she do it?
“I believe,” Bejlek said. “I believe much more than I ever believed in myself.
“So I just keep believing in the match, no matter what and yeah that’s probably the thing which is always in my head.”
World No. 35 Bejlek burst out to a 3-0 lead in the third set only to see Keys break back for 3-4.
In the decisive tiebreaker, Keys snapped a slick high backhand volley winner down the line that helped her take a 4-2 lead. But Keys’ committed self-sabotage double faulting before Bejlek froze her with a forehand down the line to level.
Though Keys was two points from victory at 5-4, her forehand down the line failed her twice in a row as Bejlek seized match point with the ninth mini-break of the breaker.
Credit a bold Bejlek for attacking the ball, driving Keys into defense then spinning one final forehand strike down the line to close a gripping win in two hours, 37 minutes.
This match pitted Keys’ first-strike power and explosiveness against mix master Bejlek’s assortment of spins and speeds around the court.
Invigorated by her stunning fourth-round upset of top-ranked Sabalenka, Bejlek was playing her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal in her Cincinnati debut.
Ranked No. 111 at this time last year, Abu Dhabi champion Bejlek has risen to No. 35 entering today’s match.
Kicking in heavy serves, Keys stamped a love hold to open. A jittery Bejlek double faulted and fell into a triple break point hole. Though Bejlek erased all three break points, Keys cranked a jolting return right down the middle converting her fourth break point for 2-0. Keys stamped a second straight love hold extending to 3-0.
The 21-year-old Czech worked through a demanding deuce hold to get on the board in the fourth game.
A gritty Bejlek bolted a running forehand down the line to save set point on serve. Bejlek drew some backhand misses to salvage serve holding for 3-5.
Serving for the set, Keys botched a routine high forehand volley then sprayed successive shots to face double break point. Keys swept a diagonal forehand winner to save the first and hit a heavy forehand down the line to erase the second break point. Keys cranked a bounding kick serve to deny a third break point.
Challenging the 5’3” Czech with her twisting kick serve, Keys closed out the 41-minute first set on her second set point.
Bejlek banged an ace down the T starting the second set with a hold.
The power disparity in this match was amplified by the crack of the ball from the Keys forehand.
The 2025 Australian Open champion wrong-footed the quick Czech for a break point in the third game. Keys unloaded a barrage of forehands breaking for a 2-1 second-set lead.
Sixty-two minutes into the match, Bejlek showed superb hand skills with a slick, sliding backhand serve-and-volley winner. Bejlek banged the body serve into the hip to close the gap to 2-3.
Timing the ball, Bejlek stepped into a return and followed it forward drawing a wild passing shot attempt as she broke back on her third break point to level the set after six games.
The left-hander launched another game-ending ace down the T for her second love hold of the set and a 4-3 lead.
Serving at game point 4-5, Keys bungled an overhead into net then framed a forehand.
Following a loopy topspin forehand with a slithering slice backhand, Bejlek induced the netted error for set point. Keys sent three sharp forehands down the line to erase set point.
A scrambling Bejlek was sliding into her shots making Keys earn every single point. The American slapped successive shots into net as Bejlek converted her second set point to force a decider after 87 minutes.
The Czech’s court craft isn’t confined to scrambling counter-punching behind the baseline. Bejlek’s front-court feel was a factor as she stretched Keys with a topspin forehand down the line then shoveled a soft slice backhand by the lunging American breaking for 2-0.
Dropping deeper behind the baseline to return, Bejlek gave herself more time to face speed shots coming at her.
The woman in pink powered through a strong hold at 15 punctuating her 4-1 lead with a firm “come on!”
Digging in, Keys overcome a couple of double faults and denied break point holding in the sixth game.
Though the Czech had issued six consecutive holds, Keys was hammering returns in the seventh game. A Bejlek drop shot sat up, Keys swooped in to repel it then snapped an easy smash breaking back for 3-4.
In the tiebreaker, Bejlek’s forehand was ultimately more reliable at crunch time than Keys’, whose ferocious forehand is still one of the best on Tour. Yet Bejlek challenged that wing, drew two wild from Keys’ forehand down the line then rocketed her own topspin forehand down the line to end it thrusting both arms in the air.
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