The Florida resident’s positive attitude and insatiable hunger to succeed was evident even in her youth.
“I try to work as hard as I possibly can,” a 19-year-old Keys had said after losing to eventual champion Serena Williams in their AO 2015 semifinal. “I still want more, I think I will forever be that way.”
On Wednesday, she’ll seek to extend a nine-match winning streak against Elina Svitolina.
The 28th seed defeated Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 6-1 to reach her first AO quarterfinal since giving birth in 2022.
The Ukrainian won seven consecutive games as she recovered from a 1-4 deficit against her 27-year-old rival and limited unforced errors to just 14, around half the 27 struck by Kudermetova.
“[It’s a] really amazing feeling to go deep in these kinds of tournaments, in the Grand Slams, is always extra special,” Svitolina said. Her husband Gael Monfils is seeking to cause a fourth round upset against 21st seed Ben Shelton.
-Svitolina holds a 2-3 record against Keys, though the duo haven’t duelled since 2022.
Keys, who watched some of the 30-year-old Svitolina’s stunning upset of fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, said she isn’t expecting the match-up to feel anything like their past battles.
“I was so impressed, she was really going for it and really going after her shots and hitting some incredible forehands,” she said, recognising the parallels: her forthcoming opponent has also sought to become more aggressive.
“It’s kind of the evolution of all of us as we’re getting older and trying to make some changes.”
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