Madison Keys of the U.S. celebrates as she gained the fourth spherical match of the French Tennis Open in opposition to Hailey Baptiste of the U.S. on the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photograph/Christophe Ena)
Australian Open champion Madison Keys mentioned “it’s by no means too late” to succeed in profession highs after reaching one other spectacular feat in a landmark season by reaching the Roland Garros quarter-finals on Monday.
The 30-year-old, who gained her maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne in January, reached the French Open final eight for the primary time since 2019 with a 6-3, 7-5 win over fellow American Hailey Baptiste.
READ: Australian Open: Madison Keys stuns Sabalenka for first Grand Slam title
Keys reached the semi-finals in Paris in 2018 and the final eight the next 12 months, however is taking part in within the second week for less than the second time since.
“There’s a variety of strain to form of instantly make it once you’re a prime junior, and I feel typically you form of lose the enjoyable of all of it and the entire simply wonderful expertise that you just get to have by means of being knowledgeable tennis participant,” mentioned Keys, who turned professional on the age of 14.
“I feel the largest factor from all of it’s that it’s actually by no means too late. I clearly had a variety of success earlier in my profession, after which didn’t fairly get throughout the road till a couple of months in the past.”
Madison Keys of the U.S. performs a shot in opposition to Hailey Baptiste of the U.S. throughout their fourth spherical match of the French Tennis Open on the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photograph/Aurelien Morissard)
Keys, seeded seventh in Paris, had made six Grand Slam semi-finals earlier than lifting her first main trophy.
“There’s actually no time restrict, and I feel a variety of us, as time goes by, and we haven’t gotten it, really feel like time is operating away,” added the 2017 US Open runner-up.
“So I feel there isn’t any time restrict. Something can occur at any second.”
She’s going to subsequent face one other American in Coco Gauff for a semi-final spot after the previous US Open winner beat Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Keys has gained three of her earlier 5 conferences with the 21-year-old, though Gauff got here out on prime of their solely earlier Grand Slam encounter at Flushing Meadows in 2022.
“It’s been actually enjoyable form of attending to see her accomplish that nicely at such a younger age,” Keys mentioned of her quarter-final opponent. “Generally I really feel very outdated when speaking to Coco, as a result of she says issues, and I’m, like, ‘Yeah, I don’t get that.’”
“So there’s undoubtedly an enormous age hole that’s typically shockingly apparent.”
The world quantity eight mentioned she arrived within the French capital refreshed after a shock early exit in Rome to Peyton Stearns.
US third seed Jessica Pegula pointed to the gruelling nature of the European clay-court swing after her shock loss to French wildcard Lois Boisson on Monday.
“I truly went residence after I misplaced early in Rome,” added Keys. “So in some methods I feel it was a blessing in disguise for me, as a result of I used to be capable of go residence for a bit over every week.”
“That actually helped simply reset my journey, and coming again to Paris it felt prefer it was an entire new journey.”
