The dream lives on for Madison Keys. The Illinois native reached her first career Grand Slam final with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Coco Vandeweghe in the semifinals of the 2017 US Open on Thursday. Keys needed just 66 minutes to outlast Vandeweghe and in the process set up a mouth-watering final clash with her compatriot Sloane Stephens. It will be the first time since the Williams sisters faced each other in 2002 that Flushing Meadows will be hosting a women’s final featuring two American players.
For Keys to defeat Stephens this coming Saturday, she needs to continue her excellent return play. She won 53 percent of her receiving points against Vandeweghe with Keys converting four of her seven break point chances. Keys also needs to impose her aggressive style and dictate the tempo of the match against Stephens. She did just that against Vandeweghe in the semifinals, with Keys recording a whopping 25 winners and just nine unforced errors.
Sloane Stephens barged into the final of the 2017 US Open with a stunning 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 win over ninth seed Venus Williams on Arthur Ashe Stadium Thursday. Stephens dug deep in this epic battle, needing two hours and seven minutes to record the marathon win. It was a fantastic performance by Stephens who became the fourth unseeded woman to reach the US Open final in the Open era.
The 24-year-old has been on a terrific run, winning 14 of her last 16 matches after missing 11 months with a foot injury. She displayed that resiliency in the match against Williams, winning 10 of the last 11 points contested to set up a gripping finale with Madison Keys. Saturday’s showdown will be the second meeting between the two stars in the WTA Tour with Stephens holding a 1-0 advantage in their head-to-head matchup. Stephens defeated Keys, 6-4, 6-2, in the first round of the 2015 Miami Masters.
For Stephens to extend her dominance against Keys, she needs to continue her excellent play on the receiving end. Stephens won 48 percent of her receiving points in the win against Williams with the Florida native converting five of her 12 break point opportunities.
