Madison Keys clinched her second career WTA title in the final of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham after beating Barbora Strykova 6-3 6-4 in 79 minutes. Keys needed one break for each set to take the final.
Keys, who reached the quarter final at Wimbledon last year on grass and lost to Serena Williams in this year’s Rome final, won two of her previous three head-to-head matches against Strykova. They recently met twice during the clay season. Keys won both matches in Madrid (6-3 6-3) and Rome. In the Italian capital Keys prevailed 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the third set after a tight match. Strykova clinched her only win over Keys in three sets in Wuhan in 2014.
Keys overcame Carla Suarez Navarro in three sets 3-6 6-3 7-6 in the semifinal to break into the top-10 for the first time in her career. In the quarter final the US player rallied from a set and a break down to beat Jelena Ostapenko.
Strykova recorded wins over Karolina Pliskova, Heather Watson, Tsvetana Pironkova and CoCo Vandeweghe. Strykova came back from losing the first set to beat Vandeweghe 2-6 6-4 6-3 in the semifinal. This was the only set she dropped in the whole week before today. Strykova enjoyed an impressive week in which she also qualified for the doubles final alongside her compatriot Karolina Pliskova against Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva. She has become the first player since Maria Sharapova to reach both singles and doubles final in Birmingham in 2004.
Keys broke serve in the second game to 30 to race out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back to win the first set. The US player won 20 of her 23 points on her serve in the first set including 10 consecutive points to clinch the first set with an inside-out forehand.
Strykova saved four break points to hold serve for 1-0 in a eight-minute first game. Keys fended off three break points to hold her serve for 1-1 with a forehand volley.
Strykova earned a break point in the 8th game that would have allowed to serve for the second set as Keys made three backhand errors.
Keys hit a forehand down the line to set up a backhand winner to save the break point and held her serve for 4-4. Keys did not drop a point in the next two games including the decisive break in the ninth game to love to take a 5-4 lead as Strykova made a double fault. The young US player converted her first match point to close out the match and win her first title since beating Angleique Kerber in Eastbourne on grass in 2014
Keys hit 27 winners to 16 unforced errors and won 13 of her 18 points at the net. She has become the first US player to debut in the top-10 since Serena Williams in 1999.
