American pals cruise in Paris
PARIS — Madison Keys kept an eye on a TV while receiving treatment this past week at Roland Garros, watching her pal Sloane Stephens pull out a tight three-set victory.
“Living and dying on every point in the end,” Keys said. “I saw her in the locker room, and I was like, ‘God, you made me nervous at the end.’ She was like, ‘You were nervous?’”
The young Americans have known each other for about a decade. They’re Fed Cup and Olympic teammates. They even debuted in a Grand Slam final together, when Stephens beat Keys for last year’s U.S. Open title. And now they’re both French Open quarterfinalists, each making it that far in Paris for the first time with relatively easy straightset victories Sunday on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The 10th-seeded Stephens was a 6-2, 6-0 winner against No. 25 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in 52 minutes, while No. 13 Keys beat No. 31 Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania 6-1, 6-4 in 65 minutes.
If Stephens, 23, and Keys, 25, each picks up one more victory, they will face off for a berth in the championship match.
“I always want to see Sloane do well,” Keys said. “I’d love for both of us to be able to be in the position to play each other multiple times. … I’m always cheering for her.”
Stephens monitors her pal’s progress, too.
“I mean, she’s like really the only person I actually watch, because I will be texting her during the match: ‘Come on! What are you doing?’” Stephens joked. “She’s been playing well. Obviously in a Slam, she really gets up, so she’s going to make whoever she plays play. And I think that’s what’s great about Maddie.”
Next up for Keys is a match against 98th-ranked Yulia Putintseva, who eliminated No. 26 Barbora Strycova 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday.
Stephens’ quarterfinal opponent will be No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki, the reigning Australian Open champion, or No. 14 Daria Kasatkina. Their fourthround match was suspended because of darkness Sunday night. Kasatkina took the opening set 7-6 (5), and they were tied at 3-all in the second when play was halted until today.
Half of the men’s quarterfinals are set, with second-seeded Alexander Zverev reaching a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time after beating Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 for his third straight comeback win in five sets at the tournament. He’ll face seventh-seeded Dominic Thiem, a 6-2, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 winner over 19thseeded Kei Nishikori.
Novak Djokovic’s record 12th French Open quarterfinal will be played against unseeded Marco Cecchinato, who surprised eighthseeded David Goffin 7-5, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the fourth round. Djokovic, seeded 20th, topped 30th-seeded Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.