Back in January, Madison Keys shocked the world by capturing her maiden Grand Slam title in Australia. However, the American star is determined to prove her deep run wasn’t a one-off, as she has now powered into the French Open quarterfinals—following in the footsteps of Serena Williams.
After defeating compatriot Hailey Baptiste in straight sets (6-3, 7-5), Keys, 30, becomes the oldest American to reach the quarterfinals in women’s singles at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros in the same season since Serena, 35, in 2016, per Opta Ace.
The seventh seed will now face fellow American Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals, as Gauff matched a historic record set by Venus Williams with her win over Yekaterina Aleksandrova in the fourth round.
Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, is looking to match her best result at the French Open, where she reached the semifinals in 2018. She lost to Sloane Stephens in straight sets.
This season, Keys has claimed two titles: the Australian Open and Adelaide. However, she has struggled to make deep runs on clay, with her best result being a quarterfinal finish in Madrid, where she fell to Iga Swiatek.
Coco Gauff vs. Madison Keys: head-to-head
Gauff, 21, and Keys have faced each other five times, with Keys holding a 3-2 edge. Their most recent clash was in the Round of 16 at Madrid last year, where Keys won in three sets.
In fact, Keys has won their last two meetings, including a victory in Eastbourne in 2023. This will be their second Grand Slam encounter. Gauff won their first, at the 2022 US Open, in straight sets during the Round of 32.