Madison Keys, seeded 15th, her highest at a Grand Slam, defeated Zarina Diyas 7-6(5), 6-1 in the first round in Melbourne. Keys, a semifinalist here last year, is now working with Jesse Levine as coach after her and Lindsay Davenport mutually agreed to end their partnership.
Keys Rallies To Take Razor-Thin First Set
The match began with Diyas struggling to hold serve, eventually doing so after digging out of 15-30 to open the match. An exchange of love holds saw Diyas hold a 2-1 lead. The next game would prove to be pivotal, Diyas having two break points, but losing both chances with netted backhands. Keys held on when Diyas dumped yet another backhand into the bottom of the net.
The next two games would go along quietly, each player comfortably holding for three-all. After Diyas held for 4-3, she finally capitalized on a break opportunity with Keys blasting a forehand long over the baseline. The match turned in the next game when Diyas, serving for the set at 5-3, blew three set points at 40-0 up. Keys wasted her first break chance with a loopy backhand well wide. She would take her next one as Diyas pushed a backhand long and the set was back on serve at 5-4.
The next two games would briskly move along, each player holding, Keys at 30 and Diyas at 15 to give the Kazakh a 6-5 lead. Keys battled out of 30-all to send the set to a tiebreak. The tiebreak went according to form until 2-1 when Keys seized a mini-break, Diyas floating a backhand long. The Kazakh regained her footing, earning the mini-break back when Keys sprayed a cross-court forehand long.
The American trailed 5-4, but closed the tiebreak and set out in a rush, winning three straight points with a forehand down the line after a long rally, a scoop forehand volley and a limp Diyas backhand into the net. The set was hers 7-6(5) and, as it would turn out, the match.
Keys Dominates The Second Set
The 15th seed scraped out a hold to open the second set and further asserted herself when Diyas' shot was called long, challenged and upheld. Keys swatted away a break point and closed out a tough game when Diyas' backhand sailed long, a 3-0 lead now hers. Diyas was struggling, short on confidence after the opportunity to win the first set went begging.
Sensing this, Keys set herself up to essentially close the match out with a 0-40 lead on Diyas' serve, taking her chance with a crushing backhand on the second break point and a 4-0 lead effectively ended Diyas' chances. After Keys held at 15, Diyas would get on the board with a hold of her own at love, the American now serving for the match at 5-1. With little trouble, Keys closed out the match with a service game to 15, Diyas spraying one final backhand wide. Her next opponent will be Diyas' countrywoman, Yaroslava Shvedova in the second round.