Round 3: Madison Keys (USA) vs. Coco Gauff (USA)
Arthur Ashe Stadium — Day Session — Second Match
- The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center brings back plenty of fond memories for 2017 finalist Madison Keys. So does taking on Coco Gauff. Keys edged the teenage prodigy 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 in an awesome Adelaide International semifinal bout back in January en route to the title. That week represented a real reboot for Keys, who had become disillusioned with her results and the tennis lifestyle last season. That victory over Gauff launched Keys back into silverware contention for the first time since 2020. The feel-good factor, the memories—Keys will be buoyant recalling their only previous encounter.
- Aggression is the buzzword for these two home talents and they’re both talking the talk to put on a show in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I'm looking forward to it. She's obviously a phenomenal tennis player, has had a lot of success,” stated No. 20 seed Keys. “We're both big hitters and we're both going to be trying to be the aggressor.” So who can dictate the rallies? World No. 12 Gauff is also looking to dominate with force. “I think the challenge will be just being aggressive. I feel like I need to take my chances when I can,” said the 18-year-old. “I learned a lot from that match [in Adelaide.] In the beginning of the year I feel like in general, I wasn't in a good head space, I wasn't confident in my tennis. I feel like now I'm really confident in my tennis.”
- Here’s a real key: Gauff’s serve versus the ever-evolving Keys return. In her second round, Gauff struck the third-fastest ever women’s serve in US Open history at 128 mph. The teenager's reaction? Simply, "Wow," but she points to her serve as her finest improvement in recent seasons. Well, Keys has an extremely effective serve too, but she's attempting to boost the opposite shot. “It's definitely nice to have that (serve) in my back pocket and be able to rely on it,” continued Keys. “But I think I've really focused on, funny enough, my return game and trying to have a lot more confidence in that for days where the serve, I'm not getting quite as many free points and things like that, knowing that's not going to be the deciding factor of the match.”
- Gauff, the Roland Garros finalist three months ago, is already accustomed to the Grand Slam gauntlet. Dealing with the relentless nature of a major, Gauff is seeking to properly switch off to clear her mind. Free of expectations or outside noise can only help the No.12 seed facing her compatriot. “I have screen time on my phone to control myself, I guess. It's easy to get sucked into it,” explained Gauff, who has never been past the third round at Flushing Meadows. “I need to live more in real life and not online. I feel for a lot of my life, being homeschooled, doing a lot of things alone, traveling on tour, I was always in my room by myself because I like being by myself. I was like, ‘I need to go outside.’ I went to walk around Central Park. It was nice. I'm just trying to be more in real life and learn more about myself because I feel like when you are online, you are learning about a version of yourself that isn't attainable, so I'm trying to learn more about a real version of myself.”
