The keys come together with a set to survive Lys in the second round of Cincinnati

Hard courts have always been the surface that best rewards the rapid flat plans of Madison Keys.

While the year appeared, she won her first 12 games on these fast courts in Australia, winning the title in Adélaïde, then winning her first single chelem crown in Melbourne.

Upon entering the Cincinnati Open, the 30-year-old hard land record was a 20-3 high.

And while Keys seemed in doubt for almost the whole match, she joined to mark a victory of 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1) on Eva Lys to come.

Keys saved two breaks to reach this decisive equality break, then threw the hammer, winning seven of the eight points. When it was finished, Keys raised the two arms and pumped his fists – more relief than jubilation during his favorite tournament on tour.

“I kept trying to listen to everyone here encouraging me,” Keys said in his interview on the field. “It helped me return to the match and through the finish line.”

In many ways, the return victory was typical of Keys’ recession. She now won 10 games after losing the first set and 15 that made the distance – both the standard on the Hologic WTA tour.

Keys won 18 games in Cincinnati, his highest total tournament after Charleston (21).

Monday, Keys will play a third round match against the qualifier Aoi Ito, a 24-year-old Japan player, n ° 94. Ito beat the head of 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

After winning the Australian Open, Keys sometimes fought against lower class players. While his record for the season against players outside the top 50 of this year is 14-4, three of these defeats have occurred since June.

Meanwhile, during seven games with the 10 best players, Lys had never taken so much set, more recently in a 6-2, 6-2 defeat in the third round by Iga SwiTek.

But playing his first game against Keys, Lys looked like another player. She broke the keys in her second service game when – in a model that was repeated several times – Keys sent a short backhand in the net.

Lys broke it again to take an advance of 5-1 and, serving for the set, resisted two breaking points. At Deuce, Keys slapped two returns – his 19^th and 20^th Uncomposed errors of the whole.

With lys serving at 1-0 in the second set, he started to meet for the keys. The hard and flat law started to find the court and the 38 -minute brand, Keys had his first service break.

But Lys recovered it when another right hit of keys landed in the net. Keys made the favor to take a 3-1 advance, breaking Lys in Love. This margin held for the rest of the whole after Keys converted his fourth point. Lys finished this framework with only three winners – and 17 unl forced errors.

The keys seemed to be in a precarious position, dragging 3-0 when the forehand started to shoot. She struck a magnificent forehand winner on the line to win her first match, and the momentum continued. Keys broke Lys at Love to recover it in service. On the way to 3, she won 10 consecutive points.

Serving at 3-4, Keys doubles failing to give Lys an attractive break point, which would have made him serve for the match. Keys responded with an ace – his third in the game – and leveled it when Lys rushed.

For the whole match, Lys had equaled the keys with great anticipation and an aggressive game. But serving at 4, for the first time, his nerves betrayed him. At 30, she hit an anxious forehand, then double flaw to put the match on Keys’ racket.

Naturally, Lys broke up for 5-all, converting his third opportunity, stopping a blister’s right blow from the keys with a skilled winner on the fly of the forehand. After Keys recorded these two match points, the match entered the last equality break, which Keys won decisively when Lys’ forehand broke down.

Keys resisted 71 unl forced mistakes (against only 29 winners) but succeeded 12 aces, most of them in crucial situations. It held an advantage of 99-96 in points and Lys finished with another service break, 5-4.

Bouzas Cool Rolls again

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro continued his hot game, beating the head of 21 Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-3. The 22 -year -old man in Spain reached the quarter -finals a week ago in Montreal and has now won six of his last seven games.

Bouzas Maneiro – who won 23 of his 28 first service points – played a solid first round match against Wild Card and seven times Grand Chelem Champion Venus Williams.

Fernandez caused a sensation, winning the title in Washington, DC, but lost his first match in Montreal in Maya Joint.

A singular achievement for Townsend

Taylor Townsend is n ° 1 in the Pif WTA ranking, but she also continues to make impressive projections in simple.

Admittedly a joker in the main draw in Cincinnati, she was a final winner 6-2, 6-4 against the seeded n ° 13 Liudmila Samsonova. This came after reaching the quarter -finals at the opening of Mubadala Citi DC after losing against Leylah Fernandez.

Rybakina returns

During their first meeting, Elena Rybakina, n ° 9, joined to defeat Renata Zarazua 4-6, 6-0, 7-5.

Rybakina, who caressed 14 AS, won 40 of her 50 points at the first service and saved seven of the eight break points against her. She now has a 20-4 file against adversaries classified outside the top 50 of this year. This is her sixth appearance in Cincinnati, the best performance arrived three years ago when she reached the quarter -finals.

Rybakina will play the winner of the subsequent match between Elise Merten n ° 19 and the 19 -year qualifier Clervie Ngounoue on Monday.