It’s not uncommon to hear tennis players complain about grass, a surface that has historically tested even the best competitors. While the surface is widely appreciated, it can be difficult for players to navigate effectively. Madison Keys is no different.
The one-time Grand Slam champion described her relationship with the surface as “toxic” after reaching the quarterfinals of the Berlin Tennis Open. She was pleased with the performance that helped her defeat Karolína Muchová and reach the final eight but remained unsure of what to expect against Jessica Pegula.
Madison Keys Sets Up a Clash With Jessica Pegula at the Berlin Tennis Open
Keys, ranked No. 28 in the world, opened her campaign in Berlin with a promising 7-6(3), 6-1 win against Wang Xinyu. On Thursday, June 18, she secured another straight-sets victory against seventh seed Muchová. Keys was satisfied with her performance as she reflected on the win in her on-court interview.
“I think it was pretty good. Pretty happy. When you play someone as talented as she is, you know that you have to come out and play your best game, and I feel like I was able to do that,” she said.
“I served really well and making it a little bit competitive on those return games just to kind of take advantage because on the grass it’s so hard to get a big lead and try to run with it, so just staying composed in the match.”
Keys broke her opponent’s serve in the ninth game of the second set to take a 5-4 lead. However, she was unable to serve out the match, allowing Karolína Muchová to break back and level the set at 5-5. Undeterred by the missed chance, she regrouped swiftly, broke her opponent again, and closed out the match 6-4, 7-5 at the second attempt.
“I was kind of just like, whatever. We’ll just try our best to get that back,” she said, suggesting that grass tends to reward players who embrace the surface’s quirks: “The weirder, the better.”
Madison Keys then called her relationship with the surface “toxic.” “I’ve always loved grass. It doesn’t always love me back. But it’s that toxic relationship where you just keep going back and saying, ‘I love you, please love me back.’”
“I’ve always loved grass. It’s doesn’t always love me back.”#BTO26 pic.twitter.com/yJOl9W0WQX
— wta (@WTA) June 18, 2026
Keys has a decent record on the surface, having won around 71.95% of her grass-court matches. She also has three grass titles to her name – two in Eastbourne (2014 and 2023) and one in Birmingham (2016). At Wimbledon, her best result has been two quarterfinals (2015 and 2023).
“Sometimes it happens; sometimes it doesn’t. Today it worked. We’ll see tomorrow,” she said.
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Keys faces her good friend Pegula for a place in the semifinals on Friday, June 19. The players are tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head record. Pegula is a former champion in Berlin (2024) and also won the Bad Homburg Open last year. The third seed, who received a bye in the first round, has advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Kateřina Siniaková in her previous match.
