In a brilliant performance on center court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati WTA 1000the American Madison Keys struck down this Thursday the number 1 in the world, the Polish Iga Swiatekneither 6-3 and 6-4.
Keys, champion of this tournament in 2019, defeated a Swiatek who with his victory on Wednesday against the American Sloane Stephens broke the barrier of fifty victories this season.
The Pole has been wearing numbers that have not been recorded since 2019 and thirty of his fifty victories have come quickly.
However, Keys, the second player to connect the most ‘aces’ in the history of the Cincinnati tournament (163), was able to disarm him and earn a place in the quarterfinals of this tournament for the third time in his career.
Playing tennis at the highest level, Keys won the first set 6-3 without a break and, in the second, quickly escaped with a resounding 5-0.
His arm was a little shaky at that point and, after squandering his first match point at 5-1, he lost his lead breaks and Swiatek rallied to make it 4-5.
After the break he got the way to kill the match, taking Swiatek’s serve at fifteen to extend his run in Cincinnati.
He will face the Kazakh in the next round Elena Rybakinachampion this year at Wimbledon, defeating American Alison Riske 6-2, 6-4.
For her part, American Jessica Pegula, number 8 in the world ranking, defeated British Emma Raducanu, number 13 and current champion of the United States Open, on Thursday.
Pegula already has 34 wins in the WTA 1,000 since 2021 and could match the 36 wins of Polish Iga Swiatek, who was eliminated in the round of 16, with a victory on the clay of the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
The American will compete in her eighth quarterfinal of the season at the WTA 1,000. No player has achieved more than him this year and Swiatek, number 1 in the world, remains at five.
She knocked out a Raducanu who was playing good tennis and won the first two rounds against American Serena Williams and Belarusian Viktoria Azarenka.
With this defeat, the British, born in Canada and Romanian and Chinese, lost the chance to access the ‘top-10’ of the world ranking.
Pegula will face Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals.
Also in the women’s draw, the Czech Petra Kvitova defeated the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, number 5 in the world ranking, after defeating her strong 6-1, 4-6, 6-0.
Kvitova, number 28 in the world, will face Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the quarterfinals, who defeated Russian Veronika Kudermetova.
Tomljanovic knocked out Spaniard Paula Badosa, world number 4, on Wednesday in a match that ended after one in the local morning.
Results of the day
Round of 16
Madison Keys d. Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-4
Elena Rybakina d. Alison Riske 6-2, 6-4
Ajla Tomljanovic d. V. Kudermetova 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3
Petra Kvitova beat Ons Jabeur 6-1, 4-6, 6-0
Jessica Pegula over Emma Raducanu 7-5, 6-4
Caroline Garcia d. Elise Mertens 6-4, 7-5
Aryna Sabalenka d. Shelby Rogers 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4
Zhang Shuai beat Anett Kontaveit 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
