US Open final now has two newbies

SLOANE Stephens will face Madison Keys in the US Open tennis final as the next generation of American talent took centre stage at Flushing Meadows.

After two decades of dominance from the Williams sisters, either 24-year-old Stephens or 22-year-old Keys will become the first American woman from outside the family to win a grand slam singles title since Jennifer Capriati in 2002.

Venus Williams led four players from the host nation into the semi-finals for the first time in 36 years and boasted more wins in New York than the other three put together.

However, the 37-yearold had to concede the advantage to Stephens, who prevailed in a terrific deciding set to win 6-1 0-6 7-5 before Keys crushed Coco Vandeweghe 6-1 6-2.

Both young women might well have expected the US Open to come too soon after injury problems.

Stephens’ comeback has been the more dramatic. The former Australian Open semifinalist was unable to walk after foot surgery in January and was playing in just her fifth tournament since returning from injury.

She was ranked 934 only a month ago, and said: “I have no words to describe what I’m feeling, what it took to get here, just the journey I’ve been on.

“When I started my comeback, if somebody told me I was going to make two semis and a grand slam final, I would probably have passed out. I don’t know how I got here, just hard work.”

Keys has struggled with pain in her wrist and has twice been under the knife, most recently after the French Open in June.

The 22-year-old has long been touted as a future slam champion and showed why here, giving good friend Vandeweghe little chance in a show that saw her hit 25 winners and only nine unforced errors.