Madison Keys prevails in close encounter over Sloane Stephens in weekend exhibition match at Dallas Open

Americans Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys faced off against each other in the Women's Tennis Classic exhibition match at the Dallas Open on Sunday. They kicked off the ATP 250 event, which will feature top talents including Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Denis Shapovalov.

The tournament was originally supposed to feature Venus Williams and Danielle Collins in the Women's Tennis Classic. However, Venus Williams was forced to pull out due to injury, the same injury that kept her out of the 2023 Australian Open. Danielle Collins also had to withdraw from the match on account of a scheduling conflict. Stephens and Keys, therefore, were announced as their replacements.

Stephens and Keys have faced each other seven times on the WTA Tour, with Stephens leading the head-to-head 5-2. They famously faced off against each other in the 2017 US Open final, with Stephens taking home the trophy 6-3, 6-0.

Stephens shared a glimpse of their incredible weekend in Dallas on social media. Her photos show how she and Keys were all smiles as they enjoyed meeting their fans in a more intimate setting. Sloane expressed what a great time she had participating in the tournament and thanked the Dallas Open for the experience.

"Thank you for an amazing weekend! @dalopentennis," the American wrote on Instagram.

Keys also shared photos of her time at the Dallas Open, commenting on how much fun she had, and thanked the tournament for inviting her to the event.

"Fun weekend in Dallas," Keys captioned her Instagram post with a heart emoji.

The Dallas Open thanked the two for their participation in the exhibition match, a close encounter which Keys won 7-6(2), 6-3.