Sloane Stephens leaves sweet note in Madison Keys' locker prior to US Open milestone win: "Let's do this baby, keep fighting"

Sloane Stephens left a sweet note for her friend Madison Keys just before the semifinals of the US Open.

The former world No. 3 suffered an early first-round defeat in Flushing Meadows against the 19th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia with a score of 6-2, 5-6, 6-4. Despite Stephens being out of the competition, she has been following her colleague Madison Keys closely.

These American players share a strong friendship on the tour and famously faced each other in the final of the 2017 US Open, with Stephens securing a resounding victory of 3-6, 0-6 to claim her only Grand Slam title to date.

That remains the only major final Keys has played in, although she now finds herself just one step away from reaching another final, six years later, at the same Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

Keys has been the surprise package in the semifinals of the tournament, entering as the 17th seed and defeating three higher-ranked opponents: Ludmila Samsonova (15th), Jessica Pegula (3rd), and the recent Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova (9th).

Stephens left a heartfelt note in her compatriot's locker, offering her best wishes for her upcoming match:

"Madi, Let's do this, baby! Keep fighting! Always proud of you. Sloane," wrote the former US Open champion.

This marks the sixth time that Keys has reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam, although she has advanced to the final only once. This time, she will face the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who has already secured the new world No. 1 ranking starting next Monday.

The two recently met in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, with Sabalenka dominating with a 6-2, 6-4 victory. In their head-to-head encounters, Sabalenka leads 2-1, with only one match played on hardcourt, also won by the 2023 Australian Open champion.