Madison Keys will take on compatriot Sloane Stephens for the US Open title after seeing off fellow American CoCo Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-2 in the semi-finals on Thursday. Stephens had reached her first Grand Slam final earlier Thursday with a thrilling 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 win over 37-year-old Venus Williams.
The 15th seeded Keys, who had left wrist surgery for the second time in 10 months after a first-round French Open exit, routed US 20th seed CoCo Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-2 in 66 minutes to complete the first all-American US Open final since Serena Williams beat sister Venus in 2002.
“It still doesn’t feel real. I’m still shaking,” Keys said. “I played pretty well. There’s a lot of things in my head right now so I’m struggling to come up with words. “I knew I had to rise to the occasion. I’m just happy to be in the final.”
Match Point:
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2017
The moment @Madison_Keys booked her ticket to the #USOpen final with an ace up the tee... pic.twitter.com/26pvISNeok
The friends and Fed Cup teammates will meet Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the biggest match of either’s career for a top prize of $3.7 million.“I’ve known her for a long time. She’s one of my closest friends on tour,” Stephens said. “I love her to death. And it’s not easy playing a friend.”
Stephens beat Keys in the second round at Miami in 2015 in their only career meeting. “Sloane is a new person right now,” Keys said. “She’s so excited to be out on the court again. I’m excited we get to play each other in the US Open final.”