American Madison Keys took down Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets Wednesday, 6-1, 6-4, to reach her third career U.S. Open semifinal. Here’s what you need to know:
- Keys went up 5-0 in the first set before dropping a game and won a back-and-forth second set after a late break. Keys notched four aces to Vondrousova’s zero and held her opponent to 0-for-9 on break points.
- The 28-year-old American will face No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday with a trip to the U.S. Open final on the line.
- Vondrousova entered this year’s U.S. Open as the No. 9 seed after winning the 2023 Wimbledon women’s singles title.
It's all semifinal smiles from Madison Keys! pic.twitter.com/QL6bJbdP8l
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2023
Backstory
Keys knocked off No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula in straight sets in an all-American clash Monday to reach Wednesday’s quarterfinal tilt. This marks Keys’ sixth career Grand Slam semifinal appearance and first since the 2022 Australian Open. She is a one-time Grand Slam finalist, finishing as the 2017 U.S. Open runner-up behind countrywoman Sloane Stephens.
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In July, Vondrousova became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title, defeating Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the final. The 2019 French Open finalist was appearing in her first U.S. Open quarterfinal after beating unseeded American Peyton Stearns in three sets in the round of 16.
On the other side of the women’s draw, 19-year-old American star Coco Gauff qualified for her first U.S. Open semifinal Tuesday. Gauff, the No. 6 seed, will face No. 10 Karolina Muchova on Thursday.
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(Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images)
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