Madison Keys soared past her compatriot
Jessica Pegula to reach the quarter-finals of the
US Open.
Third seed Pegula had been having a successful run at Flushing Meadows up until this point, only dropping one set against twenty-sixth seed
Elina Svitolina. However, her run came to an abrupt halt against seventeenth seed Keys, who won their Round of 16 match 6-1, 6-3.
Meanwhile, Keys continues her success at the New York major after having Arantxa Rus and Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets. She then lost her first set in the third round against Liudmila Samsonova, but fought back to defeat the fourteenth seed and win the match 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
Keys dominates from start to finish
Keys was a dominant force from the start of the match to the end, breaking Pegula in her first service game. Throughout the set, the World No. 3 was at a loss as Keys achieved a double break. At that point, all Pegula could do was ensure her compatriot didn't achieve a bagel and managed to hold one of her service games.
At the start of the second set Pegula was looking slightly more confident as both players held their service games until 2-2, with some good patterns from Keys. However, in Pegula's third service game of the set she ran into difficulty once more as Keys got break point.
The 29-year-old then hit the ball out and looked fed up as she saw herself get broken again. It wasn't all quite over yet though, as Pegula showed grit and resolve to break Keys back again in the next game and level the set. She didn't celebrate much though, and her face was still set in a grim expression.
Unfortunately for Pegula, this small comeback did not last long, as Keys fought back to break Pegula yet again. The latter seemed frustrated throughout the last few games as she watched the match slip away from her.
Ultimately, Keys secured the win shortly after her last break, and will now progress to the quarter-finals of the US Open, where she finished as runner-up in 2017.