Western & Southern Open: Madison Keys upsets World No. 1 Iga Swiatek

MASON, Ohio ‒ Madison Keys was fielding questions during a press conference on Thursday when her cell phone rang.

"Sorry, that's my grandparents calling me," Keys said, unable to hold back a smile.

The phone call was understandable. Keys had just done something she'd never done before in her professional tennis career ‒ she beat the No. 1 player in the world.

Thursday afternoon on Center Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, Key booked a spot in the Western & Southern Open quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

Keys had been 0-5 all-time in her career against No. 1 players. In fact, she had never won a set against a No. 1-ranked player.

"After I (won) two games. I was like, OK, it's better than last time (against Swiatek). It's fine," Keys smiled.

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Keys is no stranger to success in Cincinnati. She made a run through the draw in 2019 and walked away with the Rookwood Cup. She knows the courts and the conditions and she leaned on that knowledge on Thursday.

"I have done well here, beaten some really great players here, and I really like these courts and how they play, so I'm just going to really lean into that and see what happens," Keys said.

Friday night will be the third quarterfinal appearance for Keys in Cincinnati. She plays Elena Rybakina.

If all goes well, Keys will be expecting another call from her grandparents after the match.

"All of the time," Keys said when asked if her grandparents call after all of her matches. "Sometimes it's like 35 seconds after the match. They are like, 'Why didn't you answer?' I was like, 'I was busy, I'm sorry. I'll call you later,'" Keys grinned.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Western & Southern Open: Madison Keys upsets World No. 1 Iga Swiatek