2017 US Open Spotlight: Madison Keys

Here’s a little more on the big-hitting American:

The Madison Keys File

Age: 22
Height: 5-10
Residence: Boca Raton, Fla.
Current Rank: 17
Career-High Rank: 7 (October 2016)
Best US Open Finish: 4R (2015-16)

The Baseline

• Keys closed the 2016 season at No. 8 in the world, having reached the fourth round at all four Grand Slam events and qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career. But lingering pain in her left wrist required surgery. (Keys is right-handed but hits a two-handed backhand.) She missed the 2017 Australian Open and was slow to gain traction in her comeback, requiring a second procedure after the French Open to clean out scar tissue in the wrist.
• Finally healthy, Keys played like her 2016 self in Stanford, defeating world No. 30 Lesia Tsurenko, reigning Wimbledon champion and No. 4 Garbiñe Muguruza, and No. 20 CoCo Vandeweghe in succession, all in straight sets, to claim the championship. The title is the third tour crown for Keys, following grass-court titles won at the Wimbledon tune-up events in Eastbourne (2014) and Birmingham (2016). 
• Keys’ best previous result in a US Open Series event was reaching the final at the Rogers Cup a year ago, falling to Simona Halep in the final. And while Stanford was her first title on the surface, Keys has traditionally played her best tennis on hard courts. In 2016, in addition to the Rogers Cup, she reached the semifinals on concrete at the Olympics, at the Premier Mandatory event in Beijing and in Linz.
• Her breakout Grand Slam was also on hard courts, when she defeated Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams to reach the semifinals at the 2015 Australian Open. She also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon that same year.
• Long viewed as a potential Grand Slam champion, Keys has made steady progress up the rankings, breaking into the Top 50 in 2013, the Top 40 in 2014, the Top 20 in 2015 and the Top 10 in 2016.

They Said It!

“It hasn’t been the easiest season, but it finally feels like I’m on the right track and feeling good about my tennis again. It feels amazing to have a title at home and on hard courts. I’m really, really happy that this is kind of the start of my US Open Series.” – Keys, to wtatennis.com, after claiming the title in Stanford