Trophée Clarins round-up: Madison Keys reaches much-needed final as Maya Joint and Emma Navarro continue to struggle

Sunday, 17 May 2026 at 08:58

As ever during a two-week Masters 1000 tournament, some of the top names ultimately have to figure out potential backup plans if they are not in form, and the WTA 125, known as Trophee Clarins, taking place at the Racing Club in Paris, is always well attended. It sees a former Grand Slam champion this year take on a Frenchwoman.

That being said, it was Madison Keys who was a surprise entrant into the proceedings. A player who just last year won her first Grand Slam title, the hangover from said title lasted longer than expected as Keys reached her magnum opus and then ultimately hasn't backed it up. But she now is looking to reach top form ahead of Roland Garros.

Issues for big names desperate for points

Her ranking slide that has accompanied it has made it so that Keys can play a tournament like this, and the same can be said for a slew of big names. Leylah Fernandez, who also plays Strasbourg this next week in a field led by Mboko and Jovic, lost out in the opening round to Anna Blinkova. She sat in the same section as the finalist, Diane Parry.

Parry herself took down Beatriz Haddad Maia in the opening round and then faced fellow Frenchwoman Chloe Paquet, who defeated Maya Joint, who is another who has not won a game really for a long time and is struggling. Earmarked as part of the next generation with Mboko, Eala, and Jovic, she is not playing to her top level, and with grass court titles also to defend soon, it is not a great time for the Aussie ace.

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Parry then got a walk-over against Yulia Putintseva before taking down Alina Charaeva to reach the final 7-6, 7-6. Onto the top half and Emma Navarro is another one who is struggling. She also plays Strasbourg but is likely to run into 18-year-old prodigy Iva Jovic who is now rising up the top 16 like Navarro once did.

Navarro on the other hand is very much in limbo and while she got a win which have been hard to come by against Lola Radivojevic, she was promptly slumped out by Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-2 who then lost to Yulia Starodubtseva who perhaps should've beaten Keys.

Emma Navarro continues to struggle.

Katie Boulter, who, of course, won't favour this surface as opposed to grass, which is to come, also played, but she lost to Anastasia Zakharova, who then went on to play Madison Keys. Keys had seen off Fiona Ferro 6-4, 6-2, Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-4, 6-1 and then Zakharova also fairly easily. But Starodubtseva, she nearly came unstuck, only winning 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. She will be the favourite in the final.

But while Keys has used this tournament to full effect, the scalp of big names ala Fernandez, Joint, Navarro among others means that they come into tournaments like this in desperate need of answers and points and come out having lost early.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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