Madison Keys happy to ‘have fun again’ on the court after emotional win at the Australian Open

Madison Keys has now made it to the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells after a rather tough outing against Donna Vekic.

Madison Keys happy to ‘have fun again’ on the court after emotional win at the Australian Open

Madison Keys (via Instagram)

The Indian Wells tournament marks the return of Madison Keys to tour after she won the 2025 Australian Open. Keys has had a pretty good run at Indian Wells so far, reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament.

This is the second time that Keys is reaching the quarterfinals of Indian Wells, with her first one being in 2022, where she was defeated by the eventual champion Iga Swiatek. This also marks Keys’ fourth consecutive WTA quarterfinal for the first time in her career.

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It would probably be more fun if the victories were in straight sets and not so hard-fought, but yes, I’m really having fun out there. Let’s say it’s all kind of a wave that I’m riding, a kind of momentum.

Madison Keys said to Indian Wells Press

Madison Keys breezed past Anastasia Potapova in the opening round of Indian Wells with a straight-set victory, recording a bagel in the second set. Her subsequent rounds were slightly challenging, though, with both of those matches going into tiebreak and a decider.

Keys had a topsy-turvy win over Elise Mertens in the third round. The American then had another hard-fought victory over Donna Vekic after being two points away from losing against the Croatian in the fourth round.

Madison Keys will face Belinda Bencic in the Indian Wells quarterfinals

Madison Keys will face wildcard Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals. The head-to-head record between both players stands at 2-2.

Madison Keys Belinda Bencic
Madison Keys and Belinda Bencic (via X)

I don’t know if things are different now; being American here is all more special. Maybe there are a few more eyes on me, but at the same time, after winning my first Grand Slam, the eyes would have been there anyway. For me, the most important thing is to be ready every day I return to the court, not to rush and continue building on this first tournament after Australia.

Madison Keys added

Bencic recently won her 9th singles title at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open. This marked the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist’s first title after giving birth to her daughter in April last year. The Swiss has had a pretty impressive run at Indian Wells this year, defeating higher-ranked players on her way, particularly World No. 3 Coco Gauff in the Round of 16.

Madison Keys’ impressive 2025 season

Madison Keys had a strong start to her 2025 season. The American won the Adelaide International, defeating top seed Jessica Pegula in the finals.

Keys then went on to play in the Australian Open. She defeated several higher-ranked players like Danielle Collins, Elena Rybakina, and Iga Swiatek before reaching the finals of the tournament.

Madison Keys (2)
Madison Keys (Image via WTA/X)

She produced a major upset by defeating World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the finals, denying the Belarusian a chance for an elusive three-peat at the Australian Open. This marked Keys’ second Grand Slam final and her maiden Grand Slam title. She reached her first Grand Slam final in 2017 at the US Open final, where she lost to Sloane Stephens.

Keys, who entered the Australian Open with a 19th world ranking, has now soared to a career-high ranking of World No. 5. As of June 2023, Keys is coached by her then-fiancé, now husband and former professional tennis player Bjorn Fratangelo.