Madison Keys will set her sights on a maiden Brisbane International semi-final berth after ending Sam Stosur’s hopes on Wednesday afternoon.
Following a win over fellow Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber in the first round the 35-year-old Stosur had high hopes she would reach the quarter-finals at her home tournament for the first time.
But it was No.8 seed Keys who overcame a slow start to prove the steadier of the two, closing out a 7-5 6-3 result for her first win over the Australian.
“I think it was just better execution,” Keys said when comparing her previous matches against Stosur.
“Sam obviously has a great serve and a great forehand and she’s really tricky off of her slice.
“So I’ve known that in the past. I just felt like in the past I wasn’t doing a great job at handling my side of the court.”
The Australian had won the pair’s three prior encounters – all on hard court –including a three-set win in Miami last year.
And on Wednesday, she was quicker off the mark, breaking Keys in the opening game of the match.
“My serve has been really great and gotten me out of some tricky spots. And I think I’ve been staying really calm and not freaking out.”
– @Madison_Keys is looking fresh and feeling fine about her start to the year.#BrisbaneTennis #RiseUp #MicDrop pic.twitter.com/Ns79ZoBLGo
— #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) January 8, 2020
But with games back on serve at 5-6, Stosur’s fourth double fault of the set came at a costly moment.
It handed Keys a set point and she converted on a heavy forehand, which drew the error from Stosur.
Keys maintained momentum with a break for 2-0 in the second set and carried the advantage, completing the results when Stosur’s backhand return hit the net.
The world No.13 will meet compatriot Danielle Collins, who earlier clocked 34 winners as she breezed past Kazakh qualifier Yulia Putintseva 6-0 6-1.
Collins beat Keys at Indian Wells in 2018 in their only prior meeting.
“It’s going to be tough. She’s playing incredibly well and really ripping and going for shots and she’s making pretty much all of them right now,” Keys said.
“So it’s one of those things where I got to go out and just try to focus on my side and see what happens.”