Madison Keys comeback sees off Ana Ivanovic in dramatic Melbourne clash

• Madison Keys resurrected from 3–0 down in the decider to see off Ana Ivanovic 4–6 6–4 6–4 in the Australian Open third round
• No. 20 seed Ivanovic’s coach — Nigel Sears — collapsed early in the second set, and play was halted for an hour as he was attended to
• Keys goes on to face Zhang Shuai, who upset world no. 2 Simona Halep in round one

No. 15 seed Madison Keys looked down and out at 3–0 in the final set, but regrouped to take Ana Ivanovic out of the Australian Open: 4–6 6–4 6–4.

You can watch the Australian Open live online from Monday 18 — Sunday 31 January, 2016

In a match unlike any other in tennis history, no. 20 Ana Ivanovic showed mental fortitude to continue competing after an interruption

during set two. Nevertheless, she eventually succumbed to a woman whose natural, flat power can blow almost any other player off the court.

Things were close in the early stages of the Melbourne encounter. Knowing that her opponent possessed a bomb of a serve, Ivanovic fiercely defended her own. Keys was the only player to make a break point opportunity during that set, until Ana Ivanovic broke her to love for a 6–4 lead. A mixture of nerves from the American and champion’s capitalisation from the no. 20 seed saw out the set, and Ivanovic carried confidence into the second set.

When the match resumed, Ivanovic showed immense composure to break straight off with some fantastic groundstrokes. But Madison

Keys was only beginning to find her groove. At a break down in the second set she was not done, and at 3–0 down and seemingly out of the decider she was very much in the competition. Unleashing the natural power that is so difficult to combat, she made it in the big moments. And it was enough to secure a 4–6 6–4 6–4 win, and stay on track for a second consecutive Australian Open semifinal.

Neither player was perfect, by any means. And indeed, Keys’ 52 unforced errors to 44 winners presented a more negative differential than Ivanovic’s 21 winners to 23 unforced errors. The 20-year-old’s percentage of first serves won was also lesser than her opponent’s. But once statistic stood out: Her break point conversion, which saw her capitalise on five of 12 opportunities. Ivanovic ended with just four of 16. Small margins made a difference.

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“I had chances in the first set,” Keys reflected.

“Wasn’t really able to convert. Had one bad service game. Then kind of just a battle throughout the whole second set. I managed to kind of get it back and figure it out, fight back and get the win.”

“[When I was down I just thought] try to get one more ball, one more ball; just stay in it. Make her win it, don’t give it to her.”

Ivanovic commented: “It was a tough match. I played so well. First set, I felt like I produced some good games, created some

opportunities. But she came back strong with a very powerful game.

“I thought the third set she served better than me. I felt that was the big difference in the third set. Obviously [I’m] a little disappointed [to have lost], but there’s a lot to look forward to.”

Keys will next face Zhang Shuai, the Chinese qualifier whose dream run continues. After her first ever Grand Slam main draw victory — over Simona Halep, no less — Zhang has defeated Alize Cornet and Varvara Lepchenko in swift succession. She is yet to drop a set.

“I haven’t played her since three, four years now,” said Keys of the match-up. “Obviously she’s playing well if she’s had the upsets she’s had, so [it] will be tough.”