Madison Keys says the key for her is always fighting during matches and not dwelling on her recent results after advancing into the third round of the Australian Open.
The defending champion scored her latest win at Melbourne Park by beating compatriot Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 7-5, in what was an at times tricky encounter. Keys looked to be in control of proceedings after winning seven out of the first eight games played in the match. However, world No.62 Krueger elevated her level in the second frame to unexpectedly storm ahead 5-2.
Keys overcame the scare with the help of a five-game winning streak to seal victory. She is now 18-5 against players outside the top 50 since the start of last season.
“Overall today I’m pretty happy,” said Keys.
“I started really well. I was expecting her to raise her level, which she did.
“But I was just really happy that I was able to stay gritty and stay in that second set to be able to get out of it with a straight-sets win.”
Since claiming her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open 12 months ago, Keys has yet to play in another Tour-level final. The last time she reached the semi-final stage was in June on grass at The Queen’s Club.
Given this recent record, doubts have been raised about her ability to win a second consecutive title in Melbourne. However, Keys is refusing to let this recent lull affect her belief in what she can do on the court.
“Last year I played some unbelievable tennis and it’s one of those things where you have moments in your career where things just aren’t going right, and that’s how it felt for a couple of weeks,” she said.
“But even then I feel like there were still moments throughout the Australian Open last year where things got really tricky and it’s easy to look back and romanticise it and think I played unbelievable tennis.
“But everyone likes to remind me that I’m the losingest grand slam champion, where I lost more games than anyone in history while winning a grand slam.
“So obviously there is room for improvement there still.
“So just having that reminder means things can happen at any moment as long as you just try to keep yourself in matches.”
Pliskova awaits
In the next round, Keys will face former world No.1 and two-time Grand Slam finalist Karolina Pliskova, who is enjoying a resurgence at the tournament. The Czech has been troubled by injury setbacks and was only able to play two WTA 125 events last year, resulting in her dropping outside the top 1000 in the rankings. She gained entry into the draw with the use of her protected ranking.
“Not great,” she joked afterwards when asked how she was feeling physically.
“The day off obviously helps a lot, but yesterday was a tough day for me, especially after the big win in the first round. I hope to manage it a little bit better today.
“It’s a big difference to go from training weeks to still playing matches. So I think I need a little bit of that. I hope to recover for the next one.”
Given the current circumstances, Keys is expected to ease past Pliskova, who is enjoying her deepest Grand Slam run since 2023. However, the underdog isn’t just playing to make up the numbers.
“She’s going to be the favorite,” Pliskova commented.
“I can only surprise (Keys), but let’s see. I have my weapons, and I think it can be a good match.”
