Keys To Staying Clutch: Clarity To The Point Of ‘Black Out’

American won the Cincinnati title in 2019

By Grant Thompson

Madison Keys’ breakthrough at the Australian Open ranks among the defining storylines of this season. Nearly eight years after her lone Grand Slam final at the US Open, the American lifted her biggest career trophy in dramatic style, toppling then-World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semis and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the AO final. 

Keys even saved a match point to fight off Swiatek. Keep that in mind.

Sitting at No. 6 in the WTA Rankings, just one spot shy of her career high which she reached in the wake of her Melbourne triumph, Keys has her sights set on a fruitful homecoming US hard-court swing, with the Cincinnati Open and US Open looming large.

“Started [the year] on a really big note, and I feel like I’ve had probably some of the best wins of my career, probably the most consistent that I’ve been,” Keys said Saturday in Cincinnati, reflecting on her 2025 season thus far. “Just really feel like we’re trucking along, one tournament after another. Looking to hopefully finish the season on as good of a note as I started on.”

Every ounce of Keys’ resolve was tested in her Cincy opener. In brutal afternoon heat, she fended off two match points (sound familiar?) to edge German Eva Lys 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(1) and keep her title hopes alive. 

What was on Keys’ mind when she was one point from defeat, at 5-6, 15/40 in the decider? “Definitely wasn’t thinking too much, I think I blacked out,” she said with a laugh. 

That clarity under pressure has served Keys well all year. She saved two match points (you get the point!) in Montreal last week against Karolina Muchova, and at Roland Garros, she erased three match points to oust Sofia Kenin en route to a quarter-final run.

As nervy as facing match point may be, Keys does not allow herself to become entangled with the pressure. “Just trying to be super clear when I’m walking up to the line,” Keys said of her strategy in high-stakes moments. “Especially when I’m serving, just knowing what I want to do with the first two balls.

“I was just trying to win the point that was directly ahead of me. Literally point to point, almost to the point where when I walk off, sometimes I’m like, ‘I don’t remember, did she have match points? Did that actually happen?’”

Keys has been a longtime visitor to the Cincinnati Open, where her first appearance came as a 17-year-old qualifier in 2012. The Illinois native, who now resides in Orlando, Florida, has competed in Cincinnati 11 times — the most of any American woman in the Open Era. Her best result was an emphatic title run in 2019. 

After missing last year’s edition with a leg injury, Keys is back on site for the first time since 2023. She has witnessed firsthand the tournament’s striking $260 million transformation, which began the day after last year’s championship match.

“One of the biggest things is how much space there is,” she said. “Especially at these combined events, the first couple days there’s so many people here. It’s really hard to find space, especially quiet space pre-match. 

“The list is endless. The amount of practice courts is amazing. The food, there’s so many options it’s actually insane. I can’t believe that it’s a year later and they were able to do as much as they have.”

How does the revamped event stack up to other tournaments? “Honestly, I think it might be the best. The gym is great, the food’s great,” she added. “There’s tons of space. The locker rooms are really spacious and there’s lots of space to go pre-match, which is always a really big thing for us.”

Keys’ title quest will continue Monday against Japan’s Aoi Ito in the third round.