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Madison Keys says there’s one thing she does better than most WTA players after French Open win

Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
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Madison Keys outlined her advantage over other players on the WTA tour.

The hard-hitting American has produced an excellent clay court season and she aims to complete it by winning Roland Garros and capturing her first Grand Slam title.

The 14th seed reached the third round by overcoming the challenge of Egypt’s Mayar Sherif on Thursday.

Keys then appeared on Tennis Channel to explain how her aggressive game benefits her in challenging conditions.

What does Madison Keys believe gives her an advantage over other players?

Keys stormed through the first set of her first meeting with Sherif without losing a game, but things got tougher in set two.

In fact the second frame was extremely close, with the American closing out the match in a tiebreak by nine points to seven.

The 29-year-old was pleased to finish the match in straight sets and she done an impressive job of hitting through the slow and heavy conditions, which Keys alluded to post-match.

“I’ve really done a good job at kind of hitting through some heavier conditions which I think that doesn’t obviously happen for some players,” she said when asked what she is doing well on the clay and at Roland Garros.

“I think I can use that strength of mind to my advantage and being able to still kind of stay on my front foot and be aggressive even when conditions are heavier so I think being able to do that has really led to just feeling pretty confident.

“And also knowing that okay if things aren’t working I can kind of take a step back and rely on moving a little bit more and trying to hit a little bit heavier and staying in long points.”

2024 French Open - Day 5
Photo by Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Who does Madison Keys play next?

After defeating two unseeded plates to reach round three, Keys will now take on a fellow American in Emma Navarro on day seven at Roland Garros.

The 14th seed took out Zeynep Sonmez in round one and defeated veteran Sara Errani in the second round, both in straight sets.

The pair have played on two previous occasions, both of which came in 2023.

Keys won their Charleston Open encounter in straight sets, before Navarro gained some revenge with a straight set win of her own at the Guadalajara Open in September.