US Open: Madison Keys advances to 2nd round, beats Korneeva
What's the story
Madison Keys, the 22nd seed from the United States, has advanced to the second round of the US Open. She defeated Russia's Alina Korneeva in straight sets 7-5, 6-4. The match was played on Tuesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, despite rain delays that had disrupted play on outer courts since Monday night. Here we look at the match report.
Weather impact
Rain delays the matches
The rain, which started on Monday night, is expected to continue intermittently until mid-week.
This has led to the postponement of matches on all outer courts, with only Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium being able to host action due to their retractable roofs.
Among those who had to wait for their turn were 2nd seed Elena Rybakina, 12th seed Belinda Bencic, and 32nd seed Maria Sakkari.
Match highlights
Keys happy with her performance
Keys expressed her happiness at winning the first round of a Grand Slam, saying it was tough playing against an up-and-coming player like Korneeva.
She said, "It's always tough playing someone young and up-and-coming, and they're going after their shots."
The American had previously lost in the first round last year but returned this time with a strong performance to secure her place in the second round.
Stats
A look at the match stats
Keys won a total of 75 points while Korneeva managed 68. The American served four aces compared to Korneeva's none.
The latter had a win percentage of 59 on her first serve and 57 on her second one.
Korneeva secured four of her six break points, and Keys committed five double faults.
The American sensation won as many as 13 games while Korneeva's tally read 9.
Schedule disruption
Other matches affected by rain
The rain also affected other matches scheduled for the day.
Men's No. 5 seed Flavio Cobolli lost the first two sets to Francisco Comesana on Armstrong.
The 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff, 17th seed Alex Eala and men's No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev were all set to play at night on the third and final day of this round.
Feats
A look at Keys's feats
As per Opta Ace, Keys is one of the three players to have claimed 10+ wins across seven seasons in Grand Slams since 2016 along with Elina Svitolina and Iga Swiatek.
The 2025 Australian Open Champion now has a 34-14 win-loss record at the US Open.
Keys's best campaign in the competition came in 2017, where she finished as the runners-up.
She is also a two-time semifinalist.