For the first time since 2002, we have an all-American US Open women’s singles final. Instead of the Williams sisters, it’s the next generation taking center stage on Saturday, with two women who were inspired by Serena and Venus. Both finalists missed considerable time on the tour due to recent surgeries, but have returned to the court with new determination after dealing with the adversity of their injuries.
Madison Keys vs. Sloane Stephens
This will be the first major final for both competitors. Based on their level of play over the past few weeks, it may the first of many major finals for both. Their only previous meeting was in the round of 64 in Miami in 2015. Sloane won in straight sets, but playing in the final of their home country’s major is an entirely different situation. Madison should take the court as the fresher of the two: Keys easily won her last two matches in straight sets, while Stephens has had two straight three-setters that went to 7-6 and 7-5 in the third, respectively. Sloane though is yet to show any signs of fatigue during this tournament. That’s especially impressive considering she went almost a year without playing a match, and due to her great results of late, has now played 16 matches over the last five weeks. Notably, half of those matches have gone to three sets, and Sloane is 8-0 in those instances. It may be important for Keys to try to win in straight sets.
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Madison certainly has the bigger game, and as we saw in her thumping of CoCo Vandeweghe in Thursday’s semifinal, is fully capable of taking control of the match away from her opponent. Both can be very streaky players, so the beginning of each set will be crucial for each in setting the tone. Sloane has been effectively using her stellar movement to frustrate her opponents, but Madison is also a really good mover so Stephens’ speed may be less of a factor. Overall more factors seem to favor Keys, except for the tape Madison had on her hamstring during the semifinal. It did not appear to hamper her at all on Thursday, but it’s something to keep an eye on, especially if this match goes the distance. Keys has suffered from a lot of injuries throughout her career, and being less than 100% against this current version of Stephens would be a challenging proposition. Stephens has been such a different player over the past month. She’s found a new resolve since returning from injury, and has competed better than ever before. The outcome may come down to a matter of belief: which player more strongly believes they are ready to be a major champion? This sizes up to be a compelling matchup, and may be the budding of a championship rivalry for years to come.
