Stephens and friend Keys in all-American semifinal
paris — The first thing on Sloane Stephens’ mind after beating wily Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-1 at the French Open on Tuesday was to seek out friend Madison Keys, who she will face in an allAmerican semifinal on Thursday.
“Now I just have to go find her, because I need to tell her some juicy stuff,” the 25-year-old said after setting up a repeat of last year’s US Open final showdown.
Keys had earlier beaten Yulia Putintseva and when Stephens overpowered Kasatkina it ensured that two Americans would face each other in the French Open semifinals for the first time since 2002 when Serena Williams defeated Jennifer Capriati.
Not only that but neither had ever been beyond the last 16 of the French Open before this year.
“Maybe we’re just the only two people who haven’t said that we hate clay, so we’ve gotten good vibes with it,” she said.
The last time Stephens and Keys played each other was on a hardcourt in the Flushing Meadows final when Stephens ended up consoling her tearful friend after demolishing her to claim a maiden Grand Slam title.
While the stakes could not be higher on Thursday, Stephens said there will be no “weirdness” in the locker room.
“When we get on the court, it’s time to compete. But before that, we are not going to be weird and awkward and make it, like, weird for each other,” she said. “I think everything will be normal. And then when we get on the court, it’s time to compete. It’s go time. Until then, we’re the same girls as always.” —