With a commanding 6-1, 6-4 victory over the defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova on Wednesday, September 6, Madison Keys guaranteed her place in the US Open semifinals. With this victory, Keys reached her third semifinal in tournament history. Following her stunning victory, other tennis greats like Sloane Stephens, Jennifer Brady, and Jessica Pegula congratulated the 28-year-old and recognized her outstanding performance on the court.
Jennifer Brady and Sloane Stephens each commented on Madison Keys' Instagram post following her triumph Wednesday night. Brady referred to Keys as "the queen of the night," and Stephens urged her to persevere and win at Flushing Meadows.
"Queen of the Night," Jennifer Brady wrote, followed by an emoji of a queen's crown.
Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens wrote. "Let's do this baby!!!!"
Jessica Pegula, who is currently ranked third in the world, uploaded a photo on her Instagram story. The picture showed Madison Keys' previous US Open semifinal appearances from 2017–2018–2023. Since her debut entry into the coveted New York Major semifinals, Pegula's compatriot "hasn't aged a day" she joked.
"And hasn't aged a day @madisonkeys," she wrote, followed by two emojis.
Madison Keys has occasionally struggled with consistency during her career, but she has repeatedly shown that she is a formidable competitor on the big stage. The American tennis pro has an astounding 10 Major event quarter-final appearances to her name, and she has been to the semifinals no fewer than six times in her career.
Madison Keys has made six semifinal appearances, and three of those have taken place at the US Open. She beat fellow American Coco Vandeweghe to go to the quarterfinals of the competition in 2017, although she lost to her close friend Sloane Stephens in the championship match. At the 2018 US Open, Keys earned a second trip to the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Naomi Osaka.
Madison Keys has lost just one set in the past two weeks, and on her way to the US Open semifinals, she defeated players with higher rankings including Jessica Pegula, Marketa Vondrousova, and Liudmila Samsonova. She will take against World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in her upcoming match in an effort to advance to the women's final.