Keys, Kvitova into the Semifinals

American Madison Keys, the 2019 Western & Southern Open champion, has defeated three Grand Slam Major winners enroute to this year’s semifinals. She’ll face a fourth Major winner in the semis in two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. The Czech is playing in Cincinnati for the 11th time, tying the women’s record, but she has never raised the Rookwood Cup as champion.

In the quarterfinals, Keys came out firing against reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and was ready for her firepower, winning 6-2, 6-4. Kvitova is playing with house money, having saved a match point in the first round over last year’s finalist Jil Teichmann and upsetting world No. 5 Ons Jabeur in the third round. She defeated qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 6-3 to become the fifth-oldest women’s semifinalist in the tournament’s Open Era (1969) at age 32.

Keys and Kvitova have split eight previous meetings. Kvitova won their last match here last year in a tight first-round encounter. Both have gotten to the semifinals because they are in good form, so expect another great match.