Madison Keys entered the U.S. Open under the radar, overshadowed by higher-ranked Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.

She liked it that way. It mirrored how she has approached the game recently.

“This year I just have been trying honestly not to have any expectations and just go out and play tennis and just focus on that,” the 17th seed said.

Lately, it’s working, focusing solely on the moment, not thinking ahead or behind.

After a strong showing at Wimbledon, Keys has reached the quarterfinals of her second straight major, cruising past the third-seeded Pegula on Labor Day, 6-1, 6-3, in 61 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It is the 28-year-old Keys’ longest run in Flushing since reaching the semifinals in 2018.

Back then, she was a headliner, having also reached the final in 2017.

The pressure was at times too much, so much being expected out of her at such a young age, breaking into the top-10 at 21.

Back then, she was the first American to do so at the age since Serena Williams in 1999. As she has grown older, Keys has sought to enjoy the game more and not let every loss negatively impact her.

“[My] mental health is definitely a lot better when I’m playing with lower expectations and not putting as much pressure on myself and just kind of having a better approach to the game,” said Keys, who will meet No. 9 Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

“I feel like when I’m doing really well, my goals are much more based around trying to get to the net more or working on adding slices into sets or going more for my second serve. Things like that, where I have full control over those sorts of things instead of trying to have performance-based [results] only. So my goals are a lot more trying to focus on what I’m trying to add to my game.”

There’s a lot to like about her game in this tournament.

Keys has dropped just one set in her four matches.

She cruised past Pegula, converting five break points in nine opportunities, notching 21 winners and winning 62 of the match’s 102 points.

She sought to end the points early, because of how tough her close friend Pegula can be in long rallies.

Next up is Vondrousova, who rallied past unseeded American Peyton Stearns, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-2 and is coming off a Wimbledon title.

Obviously, the further Keys advances at the Open, the harder it will be for her not to look at the big picture, that this is the furthest she has reached in this tournament in five years, that she is only three wins away from her first Grand Slam title.

But she will try to block everything out.

“I think you just have to try to keep thinking about the things that you have been doing well and what’s gotten you in a good position so far this year,” Keys said. “Just kind of try to keep focusing on doing that and really just taking it match by match, because I think if you start trying to look at the big picture of what’s coming, what’s left, all of that, it just makes you feel a little bit overwhelmed.”