Keys shows little sign of rust in easy win over Liang

Madison Keys says she is ready to make up for lost time after the American 11th seed raced into the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

As the WTA Tour continues to experience a truncated calendar as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Keys has missed even more events than most.

The 2017 US Open finalist tested positive for Covid-19 in January and was forced to miss the Australian Open and other tournaments in the continent.

It meant last week’s Qatar Open – where Keys lost in the second round – was her first event since last September at the French Open.

But there were few signs of rust in Dubai as the world No 19 outclassed qualifier Liang En-shuo 6-1, 6-1 in just 64 minutes.

“It’s been tough. I definitely feel a little bit behind everyone else and trying to catch up, but I know that if I keep working on what I’ve been practicing and trying to implement that in matches then more matches will come,” Keys, 26, said.

Keys laid the foundations for her emphatic win by claiming a 3-0 lead in the first set before breaking again in the sixth game and holding serve to seal the opener.

The American had to fend off a couple of break points at the start of the second set, but after doing so she won six straight games to claim a routine win.

Assessing her performance against Liang, Keys said: “I feel good about today. I played a really clean first set, and in the second set I had some break points against me but I thought I handled them pretty well and kept the momentum.”

Keys, who is making her Dubai debut, will next face Anastasia Potapova, 19, who upset Germany’s Laura Siegemund, 33.

The Russian world No 88 beat her senior rival, ranked 26 spots above, 6-3, 6-2

Keys and Potapova have met once, with Keys earning a straight-sets win at the 2019 Australian Open. Their match will be first on Court 1 today.