Last Updated: September 05, 2023, 00:32 IST
Madison Keys, of the United States, pumps her fist after winning the match against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Madison Keys overpowered fellow American Jessica Pegula 61, 63 in just over an hour Monday to move into the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
NEW YORK: Madison Keys overpowered fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-3 in just over an hour Monday to move into the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
Keys, the No. 17 seed and 2017 runner-up at Flushing Meadows, converted on 77% of her first-serve points and used powerful ground strokes to keep rallies short — a little over three strokes on average — to make quick work of her third-seeded opponent and close friend.
Keys said it was tough playing a friend but “at the end of the day we both want to win. We’re all business on the court.”
For Pegula, it marked yet another Grand Slam disappointment. She has advanced to the quarterfinals in each major tournament but has yet to reach the final four.
Keys’ quarterfinals opponent will be ninth-seeded Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, who came back to beat unseeded American Peyton Stearns 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-2 to keep her dream alive of a second straight Grand Slam title after winning Wimbledon in July.
“I actually didn’t expect it after Wimby, there was a lot of pressure,” Vondrousova said in her postmatch interview. “Let’s see what happens next.”
Other fourth-round action on a sunny, warm Labor Day at Flushing Meadows includes top-ranked defending champion Carlos Alcaraz taking on 61st-ranked Italian Matteo Arnaldi, and Aryna Sabalenka, who will become the new No. 1 in the WTA rankings after the loss of top-seeded Iga Swiatek, against 13th-seeded Daria Kasatkina. Also on the schedule, third-seeded Daniil Medvedev faces No. 13 Alex de Minaur.
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AP tennis coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
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