Future shines bright for US Open finalist Madison Keys

US Open finalist Madison Keys came away with her best result ever at a major. The ending was still tough to swallow with a bittersweet loss to comeback queen Sloane Stephens, but the future could hold more Slam chances for Keys.

Considering that the 22-year-old American was trying to overcome a wrist injury (that required two surgeries) for the first half of the year, Keys’ progress is ahead of schedule. Her second-place trophy is a great accomplishment, and 2015 finalist Roberta Vinci reminded her to cherish it with a humorous congratulatory tweet (Vinci’s trophy was stolen earlier this year, and then replaced by the USTA).

Keys moved up to No. 12 in the rankings, and she'll remain a title contender at any given major as long as she is healthy and in control with her smooth strokes. Her 6-1, 6-2 flawless performance over CoCo Vandeweghe in the semifinals was proof of what she's capable of.

“I think I mostly learned that I'm a fighter,” Keys said after the final. “No matter what, I can figure things out. In a couple of days, I will be really happy, but right now still a little bit disappointed.”

The WTA has several worthy contenders at the top of the rankings, but Keys’ upside is tremendous. She matches up well against the likes of both Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova, and having to watch Stephens grasp her first major trophy will no doubt inspire the hard-working Keys.