Keys drops Kasatkina for Rio semifinal; Kvitova too

Madison Keys closed in on a medal at her maiden Olympics with a quick-fire win over Daria Kasatkina on Thursday afternoon.

Five breaks of serve propelled Keys towards a 6-3, 6-1 victory and a semifinal meeting with either Johanna Konta or No.2 seed Angelique Kerber.

In a contest that lasted just 53 minutes, Keys had nearly wrapped up the opening set before many of the spectators had found their seats. 

Making light of the slow court and gusty conditions, the American showcased her impressive shot-making to rattle through the first five games.

Kasatkina capitalized on a lull in the barrage of winners to belatedly get on the scoreboard.

But any suggestion that this would herald a more competitive second set were nipped in the bud with a trio of backhand winners and an immediate break.

This setback seemed to sap the Russian of any remaining belief.

As her head dropped, Keys turned on the style hurtling towards the finishing line.

It was her 30th and final winner of the afternoon, adding the finishing touch to a near-flawless performance.

KVITOVA CRUISES PAST SVITOLINA

Also No.11 seed Petra Kvitova kept up her world-class form in the quarterfinals of the Olympic tennis event.

She soared past Elina Svitolina, 6-2, 6-0, to reach the final four in Rio.

Playing in her second Olympics, Kvitova edged closer to a first medal with a strong win over Svitolina.

Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova celebrates after she joined Keys in the semis

Svitolina was fresh off an upset of World No.1 Serena Williams in the third round.

Converting the only two break points of the opening set, the two-time Wimbledon winner raced through the opening set.

She didn’t face a break point throughout the 48 minute contest.

In all, Kvitova hit 18 winners to just two from the Ukrainian youngster, and hit 11 unforced errors to 16 by match’s end.

Into her first Olympic semifinal, the former World No.2 will face Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig for a spot in the final.

Puig was equally emphatic in her quarterfinal demolition of Germany’s Laura Siegemund, 6-1, 6-1.

Kvitova has played her best tennis under the Czech flag, leading her country to four Fed Cup wins in the last five years. 

Jiri Fencl, coach to Kvitova’s countrywoman Lucie Hradecka, noticed the shift in Kvitova’s mental state after her hard-fought third round win over Ekaterina Makarova.

SERENA TO PLAY CINCINNATI

In the meantime, World No.1 Serena Williams has taken a wildcard into next week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, a Premier 5 event.

The two-time defending champion has a 10-match win streak in Cincinnati and will be making her eighth appearance at the tournament.

There she holds a 21-4 match record. 

Serena enters the event looking to rebound from a disappointing early exit from the Olympics in Rio, where she lost in the third round to Elina Svitolina.

Having played only three matches since winning Wimbledon in July, Serena will look to return to form as she continues to prepare for the US Open.

She has a chance to break the Open Era record for Slam singles titles there by winning her 23rd major.

Current World No.2 Angelique Kerber has a chance to end Serena’s 183-week reign at No.1 at Cincinnati, however, it will not be an easy task. 

Kerber, who is still in Rio de Janeiro at the Olympic tennis event, would need to win the title at the Western & Southern Open in order to do so.

With Serena accepting the wildcard, she can extend her stay at No.1 through US Open.

That is if she makes the quarterfinals, regardless what Kerber does.

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