Much of the attention surrounding the Americans in women's tennis, especially coming into this year's French Open, was focused on Coco Gauff. After all, the 2023 U.S. Open champion made the finals in both Madrid and Rome and is into the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in great form.
However, Madison Keys has been the queen of the Grand Slams this year, and she kept that going on Monday. Keys' 6-3, 7-5 fourth-round victory over fellow American Hailey Baptiste moved her into the quarterfinals, setting up a date with Gauff on Wednesday.
Keys won her first major title at the Australian Open in January, and Monday marked 11 consecutive Grand Slam wins in 2025. At 30 years old, Keys is also the oldest American to reach the quarterfinals at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros in the same season since Serena Williams back in 2016, according to OptaAce.
Keys went on a phenomenal run to win the Australian Open, beating Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka to get the job done in Melbourne. Now that she is over that hurdle, she will have all the confidence in the world that she can get it done in Paris as well.
Article Continues BelowKeys comes into Wednesday's quarterfinal with Gauff with a 3-2 head-to-head record against the World No. 2, including a win on the clay in Madrid in 2024. That will also give Keys plenty of confidence coming into what should be a tightly-contested battle between two of the top players in the world.
While the quarterfinal will be very tough for Keys, she is far away from lifting the trophy. If she is to get by Gauff, she would most likely play 18-year-old phenom Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals before a clash against a top player in the finals. Four-time French Open champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still in the tournament on the top half of the draw.
However, Keys has shown that she can beat anybody when she comes in and plays her game. Her big-hitting style can put even the best players on the back foot, as she has been proving once again at Roland Garros.