US Open: Keys completes all-American semifinal line-up

Published by Matt Trollope

Madison Keys celebrates her progression to the US Open semifinals, her second Grand Slam semi after reaching the same stage at Australian Open 2015; Getty Images
Madison Keys’ straight-sets victory over Kaia Kanepi means that for the first time since 1981, all four semifinalists at the US Open hail from the host nation.

Madison Keys held up her end of the bargain on Wednesday night, beating Kaia Kanepi in straight sets in the US Open quarterfinals to mark an historic occasion for the host nation.

With her victory, all four women’s semifinalists in New York are American, the first time this has occurred in 36 years.

In 1981, Tracy Austin, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Barbara Potter were the four semifinalists at a tournament eventually won by Austin.

This year, Keys joins CoCo Vandeweghe, who earlier on Wednesday beat Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals. On Tuesday, Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams advanced to the last four with wins over Anastasija Sevastova and Petra Kvitova respectively.

RELATED: Venus sets up Sloane semi

“I was real nervous today (laughter),” Keys said on the pressure she felt at having to win to complete the American quartet.

“The car ride over I was definitely feeling it but once we got out here I felt really good.”

She looked it. In a tidy 68 minutes, she overwhelmed Kanepi, a qualifier ranked outside the top 400 but who was once a world No.15 and appearing in her sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Keys hit eight aces (and no double faults), landed 72 per cent of her first serves and won almost 80 per cent of her first-serve points, while smacking 23 winners to Kanepi’s eight.

She sealed victory when Kanepi committed her 16th unforced error of the night, screaming in delight as she advanced to the semifinals of a major tournament for the second time after Australian Open 2015.

“This means the world to me,” said Keys, who underwent two surgeries on her wrist in the past year.

“If someone told me this is where I would be right before Wimbledon, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’m just so happy to be here.

“And where gonna have four American women playing tomorrow, which is pretty awesome.”

She’ll face Vandeweghe for the third time this summer, after winning their matches in the Stanford final and the first round in Cincinnati.

RELATED: Muguruza new No.1 as CoCo beats Pliskova

Vandeweghe’s win over Pliskova ensured Garbine Muguruza will rise to world No.1 on Monday; Pliskova failed to defend her points from reaching last year’s final.

Williams and Stephens will clash in the other semifinal.

Apart from Williams, none of the other semifinalists have ever been in a Grand Slam final; Venus has two US Open titles among her seven major singles trophies.

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