NEW YORK (Reuters) – American Madison Keys once again wasted no time on court at Flushing Meadows, defeating Spain’s Aliona Bolsova 6-2 6-1 in less than an hour in the U.S. Open second round on Thursday.
Keys, runner-up in 2017 and a semi-finalist in 2018, won the first three games against her unseeded opponent, who broke her serve after a pair of unforced errors late in the first set but was unable to catch up.
Keys, who defeated Timea Babos in 55 minutes on Tuesday, committed more than a dozen unforced errors but more than made up for it with her trademark aggressive forehand and monster serve, launching six aces.
“I’m very happy with how I have been playing so far. I think I served well and I returned really well again today,” Keys said. “That’s been a big focus for me. I am really happy with all of that, but at the end of the day it’s just another win.”
Keys faces France’s Alize Cornet in the third round, whom she has beaten in all three of their previous encounters. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old seventh seed said Cornet should not be underestimated.
“Alize is really good at getting a lot of balls back and just making you play that one extra shot,” said Keys. “So being really patient and waiting for the right shot and not getting discouraged if she does run down an extra ball or two is always one of the biggest challenges when playing her.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Ed Osmond and Christopher Cushing)
