By Chris Oddo | Monday, August 17, 2015
Madison Keys followed a simple, sturdy gameplan to pound her way past Timea Bacsinszky in Cincinnati on Monday night.
Photo Source: Rob Carr/Getty
Three months ago Madison Keys was rolled out of Roland Garros by Timea Bacsinszky’s best tennis. Tonight in Cincinnati, she returned the favor in spades.
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Keys put her best foot forward early and often in a 6-4, 6-3 victory that saw her drop only 12 points on serve.
“I think at the French she was able to kind of get me with slices and higher balls and things like that,” Keys said, referring to her 6-4, 6-2 loss to Bacsinszky in Paris. “Tonight it was just really a big thing about patience and staying mentally with her.”
Keys, currently ranked 19, says she also enjoyed the fact that she was considered the underdog against the No. 14-ranked Swiss.
“You play with a little bit less pressure,” Keys said. “But at the same time, [higher-ranked players are] obviously ranked where they are because they have great results and they have been doing well and they're great players. So it can be good, but at the same time sometimes they're a great player so you have to up your game. Today it was just one of those days where I was able to not have to worry about the other person trying to raise their level and beat me because I was the higher ranked person.”
Keys will face Jelena Jankovic in the second round at Cincinnati. The 20-year-old American dropped a three-setter against the Serb at Indian Wells earlier this year, and owns a 1-2 lifetime record against Jankovic.
Jankovic defeated American Madison Brengle, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Monday.
In other first-round action on Monday at Cincinnati, Venus Williams moved past Zarina Diyas, 7-6(6), 6-4. The victory sets up a second-round encounter with Ana Ivanovic.
The biggest upset of the day on the women’s side saw Wimbledon runner-up Garbine Muguruza fall to Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4, 7-6(0).
Despite having to see the trainer on multiple occasions due to injury, Andrea Petkovic braved the late night and eased past Julia Goerges in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.