Madison Keys kept her French Open dream alive after a comeback win against compatriot Sofia Kenin.
Keys lost the first set, but fought back to emerge victorious 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, and book her place in the fourth round of Roland Garros for the first time since 2022.
There’s a strong US presence at the tournament, and the Australian Open champion’s next test is another all-American affair with 23-year-old Hailey Baptiste, who is 70th in the WTA rankings.
Ahead of the clash, Keys gave her thoughts on her upcoming opponent, following her victory over Kenin.
Madison Keys gives her thoughts on Hailey Baptiste
After the match, Keys said of Baptiste: “I think Hailey is a great player. I think she has been a great player and she has found her form the past, I would say, year and a half for two years, but especially the past couple of months.
“She has had some really great wins and is playing some really good tennis. I am not surprised. I have seen her growing up and I think she has had incredible talent the entire time.
“I am really happy for her to see all of the success that she is having, putting that all together and climbing up the rankings.
“All that said, I think it’s going to be a really tough match. She is very talented. She has a lot of tangibles and knows how to mix up paces, but she can also all of a sudden absolutely crack the ball.
“It’s going to be a really tough match, but I am looking forward to it.”
Madison Keys’ head-to-head record with Hailey Baptiste
The two players have met three times before, with their first clash coming in 2019, when a teenage Baptiste, ranked outside the top 200 at the time, upset Keys at the DC Open.
Their next match didn’t come until 2023 at the Charleston Open, where Keys prevailed in a dominant win.
At Indian Wells in 2024, Baptiste took her opponent to a third-set tiebreak, but ultimately couldn’t get over the line.
With the head-to-head 2-1 in favour of the 30-year-old, their next contest is for a place in the French Open quarter-finals.
