Keys Saves Five Match Points En Route To Second Round U.S. Open Victory
American Madison Keys was staring down another early U.S. Open exit on Thursday as she battled against Hungary’s Anna Bondar on Court 17. After dropping the first set, Keys forced a decider but found herself down 2-5, and five times was down to her final point.
“That was…that was something, huh?” Keys said on-court after the match. “No stress, though. We all knew I had it, right? I mean you guys got me through that match, and I’m so grateful.”
Leaning on a rowdy crowd on Court 17 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Keys rattled off four of the next five games to force a third-set tiebreaker. In that breaker, Keys fell behind 3-5, before coming back once again, eventually closing out the 10-point match tiebreaker 10-7, and sealing her spot in the third round.
Last year’s Australian Open champion, and a 2017 finalist at the U.S. Open will now face off against China’s Qinwen Zheng. A former Australian Open finalist, Zheng has now won five matches in a row in Queens. She first came through qualifying, and continued her run on Thursday with a hard-fought 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 victory over Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.
Keys’ win was one of many among her fellow American women on Thursday. Former champion and fourth-seed Coco Gauff was a 6-4, 7-6(5) winner against Spain’s Paula Badosa, setting up a matchup against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, who defeated Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume in thrilling 7-6(6), 6-7(0), 7-6(6) fashion.
“I knew if I got through my first-round match, the second round was just going to be tough, regardless,” Gauff said. “I think for me it’s a good confidence booster knowing that I can get through these matches. Obviously I would prefer not to play somebody I’ve lost to so many times in the second round, but I think today was a big confidence booster, and I think getting through in straight sets makes a big difference.”
A finalist in New York last season, 10th seed Amanda Anisimova overcame a poor second set and played a dominant third set to move on as she defeated Austrian teenager Lilly Tagger 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Anisimova plays Anastasia Potapova next.
Iva Jovic pushed through with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Francesca Jones of Great Britain, which pits the 24th seed against good friend and 17th seed Alexandra Eala, who was a 6-1, 6-4 winner against Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova.
“She’s an amazing player. Young, very talented and very intelligent,” Eala said. “She’s a high-ranked player and very accomplished. I’ve encountered my fair share of challenges against her this year.”
Two former champions, Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek both advanced on Thursday as well. Osaka overcame Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 to push through into the third round, while Swiatek dispatched Nadia Podoroska 6-3, 6-2.
