When Madison Keys first stepped back on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, her first thought wasn’t about the magical memories she created in reaching the U.S. Open women’s final a year ago. Instead, what came to Keys’ mind was: “Last time I was here, I lost. That’s fun.”
Actually, losing in the final to Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-0 wasn’t fun, but the experience of winning six matches before losing seems to have served Keys well.
She has added the experience of a Grand Slam final to her résumé and an immeasurable amount of confidence to her mental approach. It came in handy at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday afternoon, when the 14th-seeded Keys started slowly against Aleksandra Krunic of Russia.
The American committed a bevy of unforced errors and lost the first set 4-6, but rebounded to capture the next two sets 6-1, 6-2 and advance to the fourth round.
Keys credited her journey to the final last year for keeping her calm Saturday, when she needed to change the momentum of her match. Krunic, 25, played well early, returning serves and forcing Keys into mistakes. But Keys didn’t panic, understanding each match will have its ups and downs.
“I think the confidence comes more from knowing I was able to get myself back in so many matches last year after being down,” she said. “Being able to get myself back into those matches and knowing that in a situation like today if I make some adjustments and stay calm, I can usually figure things out.”
Keys didn’t take control until the fifth game of the third set. With Krunic serving and the match tied at 2 games each, the Russian took a 40-15 lead on another unforced error by Keys.
But Krunic collapsed from there. Keys won the next point with a backhand, and tied the game at 40-40 with a powerful forehand. Krunic, appearing a bit rattled, double-faulted to give Keys the advantage she wouldn’t waste. A forehand winner down the line gave Keys the game and a 3-2 lead. Krunic couldn’t recover, losing the next three games and the match.
Keys said changing the momentum of a game is something she learned last year and applied Saturday.
“I had to figure out a way to get her off the baseline,” Keys said. “In the first set, she was holding her ground really well and dictating the points. When I’m playing tennis, I want to be the one dictating points and not running around as much.”
Krunic gave Keys credit for finding a way to win. “First she wasn’t playing well and I played well and was moving pretty good,” Krunic said.
“She started hitting her shots in the second and third sets. With Madison, it’s tough to stay in a match when she’s serving and returning well. Give her credit for the second and third sets. She played pretty good tennis. She didn’t miss many balls.”
Keys says she doesn’t dwell on how close she came to winning last year. There are really no negative thoughts.
“It is what it is,” she said. “It was there and it happened. It’s fine. I’m not torn up about it.”
