cnn
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Madison Keys comfortably beat Jessica Pegula in straight sets on Monday to earn a spot in the US Open quarterfinals.
Keys won 6-1 6-3 against world No. 3 Pegula and reached her second consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final (she reached the same stage at Wimbledon earlier in the year).
Pegula had entered the tournament as one of the favorites after an impressive preparation, but was never able to create pressure against her compatriot.
Keys, world number 17, will face current Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová in the next round.
During her on-court interview after her victory, Keys said that playing in the US Open always motivates her to perform at her best.
“Absolutely, I've had a lot of amazing times in New York,” Keys said. “Being able, at any time, to overcome difficult positions in the games, in front of this crowd, has been incredible.”
Pegula, born in Buffalo, New York, and whose parents are the owners of the NFL franchise, the Buffalo Bills, was the favorite of the local public against the Keys, residents of Florida.
However, even with the majority of those in attendance at Arthur Ashe Stadium cheering her on, Pegula never seemed determined against Keys.
It resulted in a wild first set for Keys, 28, losing just one game as she raced to a set lead to put her stamp on their fourth-round clash.
Pegula showed signs of counterattacking in the second set, but to no avail and Keys was able to break serve again to take control of the match.
Constant unforced errors continued to extinguish any hope Pegula had of a comeback, and Keys was able to close out the impressive victory in just 61 minutes.
For Keys, a finalist at the US Open in 2017, it is the first time he has reached the round of 16 of consecutive majors since the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2018.
It is also her first win over a top-five seed at a Grand Slam since she beat Barbora Krejčíková in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Australian Open.
