Before Madison Keys faced Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open this month, she was asked what adjustments she would make against the best player in the world. She did not need time to consider her response: “Win more games.”
Even that simple goal turned out to be too ambitious. Twelve days after Swiatek had dismantled Keys 6-1, 6-3 in Madrid, she again handled the American with disdain in Rome, producing exactly the same scoreline. Still, Keys could hardly be upset. If the past few years of women’s tennis have shown players one thing, it is that when a confident, in-form Swiatek is standing on the other side of the net, things can always be worse.
