Elena Rybakina battled past Elise Mertens to secure her spot in the fourth round of the 2025 Cincinnati Open, and now faces another formidable test in Madison Keys. The Kazakh stressed the need to sharpen certain aspects of her game while making an unexpected admission after her third-round win.
Elena Rybakina Voices Thoughts Ahead of Madison Keys Clash at Cincinnati Open
The third-round contest indeed tested Rybakina’s resolve. The ninth seed dropped the opening set 4-6 and had to dig deep to turn the match around. She rediscovered her rhythm in the second, using controlled groundstrokes and patient rallies to claim it 6-3. Though she faced some pressure in the decider, Rybakina held her nerve to edge it 7-5 and book her place in the fourth round.
Her next challenge comes against the home favorite and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who faced little trouble dispatching Japan’s Aoi Ito in the third round. Interestingly, Rybakina revealed she didn’t know she would be up against the Australian Open champion.
“I actually didn’t know that I’m going to play against her, but I mean it’s a tough opponent again,” she said during her post-match on-court interview.
The duo’s past few encounters have made Rybakina consider Keys a formidable opponent. In fact, the Kazakh is well aware of the need to improve her serve and limit unforced errors ahead of their clash.
“We’ve been playing before and it was always a tough battle, so I definitely need to improve my serve for this match and try to stay consistent. Fewer unforced errors and yeah, try my best and let’s see how it goes,” she added.
Madison Keys Holds a Narrow Head-to-Head Advantage Over Elena Rybakina
Adding to Rybakina’s challenge against the American is her narrow deficit in their head-to-head, with Keys leading 3–2 from five meetings. Keys also won their most recent clash in the Australian Open fourth round and will aim to build on that in Cincinnati.
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However, it is worth noting that the Kazakh enjoyed back-to-back wins over Keys before their Australian Open clash, prevailing in Miami last year and in Ostrava in 2022. She has also enjoyed a strong lead-up, reaching the semifinals in Washington, DC, and Montreal. Keys, on the other hand, has played only in Montreal during this year’s North American swing, where she advanced to the quarterfinals.
