In the first meeting with Coco Vandeweghe and the first all-American final at the Bank of the West Classic since 2012, world No.21 Madison Keys recorded a 7-6(4) 6-4 victory in one hour and 28 minutes.
In the first set, Vandeweghe constantly kept Keys under pressure, but the third seed brought out her best shots at crucial moments and saved all the three break points she faced to seal the set in a tiebreak. The sixth-seeded Vandeweghe was dictating the second set until 4-4 with strong holds of serve, forcing Keys to always be in the position to catch up, but then one weak game and imprecise shots allowed Keys to grab a crucial break, which she confidently used, following it with a love service game that brought the champion’s trophy into her hands.
It was a high-quality final, with clean ratio of winners to unforced errors on both sides, although Keys was slightly better, winning a total of four points more than her opponent. Both players were in good spirits after the match and they were even caught laughing when Keys set in Vandeweghe’s lap before the trophy ceremony.
Keys’ road to the Premier-level title and $132,380 in prize money included wins over American Caroline Dolehide in the second round, seventh seed Lesia Tsurenko in the quarterfinals, top seed Garbine Muguruza in the semis and lastly Vandeweghe.
The apparel that made Keys stylish en route to her third WTA title included the red Nike Fall Slam Dress and Nike Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour shoes, while in Stanford she also debuted the Wilson Ultra racquet, in particular the Wilson Ultra Tour model.
So happy for Maddy! She deserves it.