Surviving third-round match points unlocked my game says quarter-finalist Keys
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 2, 2025 Madison Keys of the U.S. celebrates winning her fourth round match against Hailey Baptiste of the U.S. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
PARIS - American Madison Keys knows her French Open run could have ended two days ago when she faced three match points in the third round but it was getting to the brink of defeat that allowed her to cruise into the quarter-finals on Monday, she said.
Keys eased into the last eight with a straight sets win over fellow American Hailey Baptiste on Monday.
But it could all have been over on Saturday in her match against Sofia Kenin when the Australian Open champion had to defend three match points in the third set before clawing her way back to advance.
"Definitely still happy to be here," Keys told a press conference. "Things (against Kenin) were as close as they could have been to being gone ... I think you play a little bit freer when you know that."
Keys, who reached the semi-finals in 2018 and the last eight in 2019 in Paris, will next face another American, second-seeded Coco Gauff, in the last eight.
"Huge opportunity today to kind of get through that and make another quarter-final here," she said.
"A little bit thankful that I'm still in the tournament, but also kind of just knowing the opportunity that I had today, wanting to go out and play really solid and make sure that I took advantage of that." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
23 minutes ago
- CNA
Sabalenka dethrones four-times champion Swiatek to reach French Open final
PARIS :Four-times champion Iga Swiatek crashed out of the French Open after a 6-7(1) 6-4 0-6 semi-final defeat by world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday, ending her 26-game winning streak in the tournament. Sabalenka's power was too much for the defending champion, who was looking to become the first female player in the Open era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris. The top seed will play either France's wildcard Lois Boisson or second seed American Coco Gauff in Saturday's showcase match. "Honestly, it feels incredible but I understand the job is not done yet. I'm just thrilled today with this win and the atmosphere," Sabalenka said. "She's the toughest opponent, especially on clay, especially at Roland Garros. It was a tough match it was a tricky match but I managed." Sabalenka, in her second French open semi-final and seeking her first title in Paris, powered into a 3-0 lead, twice breaking the Pole. Swiatek, who has not won a title this year but reached the semi-finals dropping just one set in five matches, looked completely out of sorts. With seven unforced errors in the first three games she was playing catchup from the start. The Pole, who late last year accepted a one-month doping ban, struggled with her serve and had racked up two double faults by the fifth game. She gradually, however, found her range and precision, countering Sabalenka's raw power with superb ball placement and levelled when her opponent double-faulted on break point. The Belarusian was furious, angrily shouting to her team in the box, before overrunning her opponent in the tiebreak. The pair traded breaks at the start of the second set before Swiatek earned another to level the match. But Sabalenka again broke the 24-year-old world number five at the start of the third to take control and she powered through the decider as the Pole ran out of steam. "It could not be more perfect than that," Sabalenka said of her third set performance.
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Former Arsenal forward jailed in UK on cannabis smuggling charge
FILE PHOTO: Football - Yeovil Town v Queens Park Rangers - Capital One Cup First Round - Huish Park - 11/8/15 QPR's Jay Emmanuel Thomas has a shot at goal Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew Couldridge/File Photo REUTERS LONDON - Former Arsenal and Ipswich Town forward Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was on Thursday jailed for four years for orchestrating the smuggling of 60 kg of cannabis into Britain's Stansted Airport. The 34-year-old, who was released by Scottish second division club Greenock Morton after being charged last year, pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court last month. Britain's National Crime Agency previously said Emmanuel-Thomas had recruited his girlfriend and another woman to travel to Thailand, where Emmanuel-Thomas briefly played in 2019, to collect the cannabis and smuggle it to Britain. The two women were also charged with smuggling cannabis but the prosecution offered no evidence against them and the charges were dropped on Wednesday, the NCA added. Emmanuel-Thomas sat in the dock as Judge Alexander Mills told him: "Your transition from professional footballer to criminal represents a substantial fall from grace, one that effectively ends the only career path that you have ever known." He will serve 40% of that sentence in custody before he is released on licence. Prosecutor David Josse said the 60 kg of cannabis had a street value of approximately 600,000 pounds (roughly $816,000) and a wholesale value of around 250,000 pounds, though Emmanuel-Thomas was paid 5,000 pounds for his involvement. "This was an isolated incident (and) a catastrophic error of judgment," Emmanuel-Thomas' lawyer Alex Rose told the court. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
30 minutes ago
- Straits Times
China's Shi reaches Indonesian Open quarter-finals, home hopes exit
FILE PHOTO: Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - Badminton - Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China - October 7, 2023 China's Shi Yuqi in action during his Men's Singles final against China's Li Shifeng REUTERS/Weixiang Lim/File Photo World number two and top seed Shi Yuqi eased past Yushi Tanaka 21-14 21-7 in the round of 16 at the Indonesia Open on Thursday, while local hope Jonatan Christie lost to Lee Cheuk Yiu. Defending champion Shi, who won the Malaysia and All-England Opens this year, took 36 minutes to defeat Japanese Tanaka and set up a quarter-final against compatriot Wang Zhengxing. Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the world number one, also progressed to the last eight with a 21-10 21-17 win over Lee Chia-hao. In the women's draw, world number one An Se-Young was similarly dominant, beating fellow South Korean Kim Ga-Eun 21-7 21-11, while India's twice Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu lost to Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong. Indonesia will not have any representative in the men's quarter-finals after Christie and Alwi Farhan both suffered defeats. Fifth-seeded Christie, who last won a Super 1000 title at the 2024 All-England Open, appeared to be cruising after taking the first game comfortably, but Hong Kong's Lee rallied to clinch a 12-21 21-12 21-10 win. "There was a lot of pressure on me. When I hit the shuttle I couldn't even hear the sound – the crowd was so loud. So I'm so happy to win this match," Lee said. "I had to calm down and start from zero, and forget what happened in the first game. I just tried to avoid mistakes and had to be patient. "It was a great experience. It was almost like playing at home in Hong Kong. I'm proud of myself. I'm happy I could do it, because my mentality is my weak side." Farhan put up a fight against third-ranked Dane Anders Antonsen, losing 21-16 18-21 21-14. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
