Madison Keys gets bageled, then relaxes to conquer Ons Jabeur in Madrid quarters

Madison Keys lost the first eight games of her Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinal Tuesday. Her opponent, Ons Jabeur, was coming off a comprehensive win over Jelena Ostapenko that also included an opening bagel set.

When Keys finally got on the scoreboard, she raised her arms in triumph. The moment foreshadowed the beginning of a terrific 0-6, 7-5, 6-1 comeback victory over the 2022 champion.

“The key was to get a game,” Keys said with a smile during a post-match interview with WTA. “Once I did that, I feel like I finally settled in and relaxed a little bit. Allowed myself to play some good tennis.”

While Jabeur came out carving shots with freedom, Keys was unable to get any rhythm going. Ten unforced errors contributed to the No. 18 seed being blanked for the first time since 2022 Indian Wells (Iga Swiatek), as Jabeur closed the dominant 24-minute set with an ace up the T.

The eighth seed broke Keys for a fourth time by asserting herself in their baseline exchanges. A love hold eventually stopped the bleeding for Keys, with a finishing inside-out forehand winner signaling that she had plenty more to give on the court.

Jabeur tightened up when her opponent's defensive abilities to extend rallies resulted in dropping serve for the first time after a pair of netted forehands. Both competitors pushed each other to raise their level over the next several games in creating a much more balanced set of tennis, with a growth in confidence from Keys on serve a notable factor.

After Keys held from deuce at 5-5, three well-struck returns then produced a trio of set points. She capitalized on the second when Jabeur’s backhand sailed just long to earn her first set in six played with the 29-year-old.

At 0-1, 40-15, Jabeur slipped on the baseline. Flashing a thumbs up, little could she know it was the final time in the clash she’d be OK.

Reeling off the next four points to break, Keys went on a seven-game run to turn the encounter on its head. After Jabeur held, Keys shut the door to halt her opponent’s tournament win streak at nine.

Before producing her best career result in Madrid, Keys had lost six consecutive contests in the Spanish capital. The former Roland Garros semifinalist faces world No. 1 Swiatek for a place in the final.