[21] Madison Keys (USA) vs. [24] Coco Vandeweghe (USA)
It has been a long and obstacle ridden road back for Keys after her wrist injury. She had left wrist surgery at the end of the 2016 season and returned to the Tour in March of this season. She also had another revision surgery on the same wrist earlier this season and her results at best can be described as spotty. A win today would rejuvenate her waning confidence and give her the third singles title of her career.
Her opponent was her Federation Cup teammate, who had been serving her opponents off the court. This match was not about tennis skills, it was about which player would handle the emotionally charged situation better. It is never easy to play an opponent who happens to be a friend. While some players can compete at the highest level no matter their opponent, some players lose their “killer instinct” when it’s a friend or family member on the other side of the net. While it did not appear as if either player was affected by their relationship, on closer inspection, Vandeweghe was not as aggressive in her attack as she had been all tournament.
The first set was a ferocious battle of powerful serves and even more powerful groundstrokes; thus, it was only fitting that it would end in a tiebreak, which was won by Keys. The second set seemed to be heading in the same direction until Vandeweghe lost her focus and made a few costly errors. Keys struggled to take advantage; however, she finally capitalized on her third break point opportunity. She handled the pressure of closing out the match very well and won the title by defeating her friend 7-6(4), 6-4.
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