Keys Seeks Sunny Close To Slam Season

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Keys Seeks Sunny Close To Slam Season

By Joe McDonald

NEW YORK—Everyone forgets the person who finishes second.

So of course, the world is talking about the former champions, but Madison Keys is still here as well.

More: US Open Live Blog

And now she’s into the US Open third round with a 6-4, 6-1, win over fellow American Bernarda Pera, 6-4, 6-1.

“I feel good,” said Keys, who has not dropped a set this week. “It's always nice to finish when the sun is still up. I like that (smiling).

“I feel really good about today. I think I definitely brought my game up to a better level in the second set, so happy with it.”

It’s been somewhat of a rough year for Keys.

The talented 23-year-old got sick in Australia, but still managed to make the quarterfinals.

The former Rome runner-up showed her skills on red clay reaching the Roland Garros semifinals where she fell to buddy Sloane Stephens, who also swept Keys in the 2017 US Open final.

Keys parted company with coach Lindsay Davenport because the Hall of Famer could not commit to a full travel schedule. They remain good friends and text each other often. Keys has been working with veteran coach David Taylor, who formerly coached Samantha Stosur and Jelena Ostapenko.

The 14th-seeded Keys is defending 1,300 ranking points for her trip to the Flushing Meadows finals.

Sounds ominous.

“I feel pressure from your question right there. Geez, God,” she joked. How many points do I have coming up I need to defend?”

But in all seriousness, Grand Slam experience has given Keys major perspective.

“Well, I'm trying not too think of it that way," Keys said. "Really just taking it match by match. It's my first time having to defend a big result like that, so that's something I'm going to have to deal with every day.

“The biggest thing is to not put pressure on myself and think it's a failed tournament if I don't make the finals or win. For me, it's doing the things I can do to control the situation, see how things go.”

And that’s the right attitude.

With so many things go on at the Open, Keys only can play her next match, which means Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia. The winner of that match will face either Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber or 29th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova for a quarterfinal spot.

Keys and Krunic have split two meetings with the 5'4" Serbian scoring successive wins over Keys and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova en route to the 2014 US Open round of 16.

“I did play her again in Stanford a couple of years later,” Keys said. “She was a tough opponent at the US Open that year. She played really well. I feel like then the next time I played her I figured some things out.

“I don't totally remember how either match went as far as game plan, but that's something I'm definitely going to look back at, both matches, and see what was working and what I need to focus on.”

Photo credit: US Open Facebook

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