Harriet Dart’s unlikely Indian Wells run ended by resurgent Madison Keys

After the nine greatest days she has ever enjoyed on any tennis court around the world, Harriet Dart’s surprise breakthrough run to the second week of the BNP Paribas Open came to an end in the fourth round on Tuesday with a heavy defeat against a searing Madison Keys, who won their clash 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals in Indian Wells.

With her run this week, Dart will leave California as a top 100 player for the first time in her career, rising to become the new British No 2. The 25-year-old’s new ranking, if she can maintain it in the coming months, means she will gain direct entry into the grand slam tournaments and many WTA events as she looks to make a permanent jump on to the WTA tour.

In Keys, Dart simply came up against a much more capable opponent who is in the midst of a resurgence after reaching the semi-final of the Australian Open last year. The gulf in weaponry and weight of shot between Dart, a slight counterpuncher, and Keys was enormous.

From the beginning, Keys served well and she was sharp from the ground, and her greater weight of shot pierced through the court and pushed Dart far behind the baseline.

After striking only one winner in the first set and struggling with her serve, Dart did much better in the second set and took care of her service games until she led 4-3. But at 4-4, Dart missed all four first serves, Keys laid waste to three consecutive second serves in a row, taking the essential break and the match shortly after.

Although her tournament has come to an end, it is one that Dart will not forget. She arrived in Indian Wells having beaten only one top 65 player, Liudmila Samsonova last month, yet after coming through qualifying she clinched three such wins in succession. In the