Madison Keys has continued her winning streak on with her third round victory at Indian Wells, but it was not always with the same tennis that won her the Australian Open.
Keys matched Serena Williams with her latest victory that has extended her winning streak, after winning both the Australian Open and the Adelaide International.
The American appears to be on top of the world, with Keys rising to a career-high ranking following her maiden Grand Slam title win.
However, it appears that Keys was not too pleased with some of her performance in her latest win over Elise Mertens.
Madison Keys says what she found ‘really frustrating’ in latest Indian Wells victory
The match between Keys and Mertens was tumultuous, with the former unable to take four match point opportunities to wrap it up in straight sets.
Despite the disappointment of not being able to win the second set, Keys was able to finish the job in the decider, winning 6-2 6(8)-7 6-4.
However, Keys was unable to produce jaw-dropping tennis like she did at the Australian Open.
The world number five was still able to showcase her power, but it was often inconsistent with Keys hitting 49 winners and 48 unforced errors.
When Keys spoke in her press conference about the frustration she felt after being unable to find consistency in her game.
“It’s definitely really frustrating,” said Keys. “I think that it’s almost more frustrating when it kind of swings from one extreme to another, where you’re playing what I would say is pretty good tennis and solid tennis, and then just not the level that I wanted.
“But I think that it’s also kind of two sides to a coin where at least you still have those moments and glimpses of playing some good tennis, because I think if you can just kind of get back to that and then you know that there is still opportunities and chances within the match.”
Madison Keys reveals what she hopes to improve against Donna Vekic
Next up for Keys will be Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic, who she leads the head-to-head against, despite not playing the Croatian since 2019.
The 30-year-old did not know her opponent at the time of her press conference, but pinpointed her serve as something that she wanted to improve in her fourth round match.
“I mean, I think after today, definitely hope to have a better serving day,” said Keys. “I think today there were moments where I was playing really well and getting ahead, getting a lead, and then letting her back in and giving her the opportunity to get back into the match. I think just being a little bit cleaner as far as that goes.”
Keys hit 12 double faults compared to only five aces against Mertens, with just 59% of her first serves making the court.
The Australian Open champion will look to extend her winning streak on Wednesday March 12, where Keys will look to match her previous best result at Indian Wells of reaching the quarter-finals.
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