Madison Keys stuns Paula Badosa in a straight sets win to reach Australian Open quarter-finals

Madison Keys produces a punishing display on Rod Laver Arena to stun Paula Badosa 6-3 6-1 and reach the Australian Open quarter-finals. The world No 51 reaches the last eight for the first time since 2018 after confidently dispatching the world No 5 in one hour and 11 minutes. Ad/> The 26-year-old, who reached the semi-finals in 2015 and the 2018 quarter-finals, will play Barbora Krejcikova or Victoria Azarenka in the next round.

Australian Open'Very happy' Badosa reaches third round for the first time after cruising past Trevisan19/01/2022 AT 00:00 «I'm so glad I'm back and that I have another match to play here,» Keys said after the match. «I think I served pretty well and I returned really well. Off of the first ball I had a little bit of the advantage on a lot of the points and then was able to dictate.

»I knew that I was going to have to take my chances and go for it because if I gave her an inch she was going to take it." Keys' aggression from the baseline was almost unstoppable for Badosa to contain in the first set and the American raced into a 3-0 lead. Keys hit 16 winners and made only eight unforced errors as she wrapped it up in 33 minutes. /> Both players engaged in a lengthy tussle in the opening game of the second set, but Keys was able to secure a vital break on her fifth break point as Badosa fired a loose backhand into the net.

Badosa was able to break straight back in the next game but then went behind again in the third game, double faulting to hand Keys a 2-1 lead. After holding her own service game, Keys sealed the double break with a vicious return of serve that Badosa could not return. With Sydney 250 champion Badosa visibly tiring, Keys reeled off the next two games in style.