The thrill of reaching her first Wimbledon quarter-final ended in disappointment and a 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3 defeat by the experienced Agnieszka Radwanska, but for Madison Keys the further depressing statistic is that, to a great extent, it was a self-inflicted loss.
She out-aced the Polish woman 12-1, won more points (98-95) and had the highly impressive total of 48 winners, compared with Radwanska’s 13. But the 20-year-old from Florida was fatally undermined by her 40 unforced errors.
Though Keys only lost the opening set on a tie-break, after the encouragement of a service break in the first game, her tendency to overhit her powerful ground strokes proved a regular handicap.
I want to get to the finals of Grand Slams, to win Grand Slams
She managed to fight off three set points with Radwanska leading 6-5, but Keys was soon in trouble in the tie-break and had the embarrassment of going set point down again when she player an air shot on a Radwanska serve which appeared to keep low. This time there was no reprieve as she struck another forehand out of play.
@Wimbledon you've been fun. Thank you for all the support! See you next year pic.twitter.com/Mgd6JYMP6B
— Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) July 7, 2015The fact that there were just seven unforced errors in the second set was a strong factor in Keys’ ability to pull the match level, thanks to a crucial break of serve which left her serving for the set. Sadly, it was a service break late in the third set, this time against her, which left Radwanska to serve out for a victory, which she clinched as Keys slipped on the baseline as she was wrong-footed.
Radwanska paid tribute to Keys as “a very powerful player – we are definitely going to see her more often in the future”.
Keys also paid tribute to her opponent, saying: “She played well, wasn’t making many mistakes. For the most part I feel like I was dictating a lot of the points. It definitely was on my racket. But again, that’s why she’s so good. She can get to lots of balls and make you hit the extra ball. So I’m going to be the player who has more winners and errors.
“But I fought, I competed, I did everything I could. At the end of the day I’m pretty happy with the effort that I put in.”
Those efforts this year, which she puts down to consistency, have also brought her a semi-final spot at the Australian Open. “I’ve definitely been getting better and better this year, but I’m still working on doing it every single week – that’s definitely my goal.
“I think that’s the big difference. I’m definitely happy with how I’ve been doing so far but making semis and quarters just makes you want it that much more. As happy as I am that I’m getting further and further in Slams, you still want more.
“I want to get to the finals of Grand Slams, to win Grand Slams, to win WTA titles. That’s the motivator every day to get out of bed and get out on the court.”
