One-Two Punch: Keys makes quick work of Zhu under Louis Armstrong roof
After going down a break in the first set, the 2017 US Open finalist rallied to win 11 of the last 13 games.
While the showers washing out most matches in New York on Wednesday, Madison Keys took the court under the roof in Louis Armstrong Stadium to race past Zhu Lin, 6-4, 6-1, to move into the third round of the US Open.
It took Keys a couple of service games to adjust to the indoor conditions as Zhu earned an early break and held at love to improve her advantage to 3-1. In the first four games, she committed 12 unforced errors against the world No. 122's one. As soon as the American found her range, she started hitting her signature one-two punch to shorten the points, winning five of the next six games to claim the first set.
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Keys brought the intensity into the second set, reeling the next three games to go up 4-0. Zhu, who had failed to solve the Keys problem, somehow managed to steal one of the breaks back before the 2017 US Open finalist closed out the match in 69 minutes.
The 24-year-old American entered the contest riding a seven-match winning streak, having claimed the Cincinnati crown for the biggest title of her career. She had arrived in Ohio on a three-match losing streak before turning her summer around.
Keys now awaits the winner of the match between compatriot Sofia Kenin and veteran Laura Siegemund. Kenin is having a breakthrough summer hard-court season, reaching the semifinals in Toronto and Cincinnati, where she lost to Keys.
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