US Open 2017: Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens' road to their maiden Grand Slam final

The US Open women’s singles final will look decidedly red, white and blue on Saturday when American Sloane Stephens takes on compatriot Madison Keys.

And what a tournament the American women are having this year.

For the first time since 1981 when Tracy Austin, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Barbara Potter represented the Stars and Stripes, Americans grabbed all four semi-finals berths this year, guaranteeing that one of them will hoist the trophy on Saturday.

With Venus Williams’ exit and Serena Williams out due to pregnancy, a new Grand Slam champion will be crowned at Flushing Meadows this year.

Struggling with serious injuries just three months ago, both Keys and Stephens are now competing in their first ever Grand Slam final.

Keys’ left wrist was operated on during the off-season forcing her off the tour for the first two months of 2017. She had a second procedure on that arm after a second-round exit at the French Open. She’s peaking at the right time and looked convincing in her quarter-final and semi-final victories.

Stephens, on the other hand, returned from a long-term foot injury at Wimbledon before reaching the final four at the hard-court events in Toronto and Cincinnati. Her semi-final win over Venus would have given her ample confidence that she can compete at this level.

So, let’s take a look at how Keys and Stephens made it to the final of US Open 2017.

Madison Keys

Round 1

Keys racked up a 32-9 edge in winners in the first round beating Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-3, 7-6 (6). Although she got broken while serving for the match at 6-5, and then faced a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker, she delivered a big forehand to force a backhand error by Mertens, starting a three-point run for the American to close out the victory.

Round 2

She beat Tatjana Maria 6-3, 6-4 in the second round. She used a 36-7 edge in winners to power past the World No 61 German.

Round 3

Recovering from a woeful start, Keys claimed a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Russian Elena Vesnina in the third round. Keys took eight of the last nine games and reached the US Open’s fourth round for the third consecutive year. From 4-all in the second set, Keys didn’t lose another game until she was ahead 5-0 in the third.

Round 4

Keys took advantage of Elina Svitolina’s nerves to reach the quarter-finals for the first time with a 7-6(2), 1-6, 6-4 win. The 15th seed was down a break in the decider against the Ukrainian fourth seed when Svitolina lost her composure and allowed the American to come back under the lights at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Quarter-finals

Keys, peaking at the right time, blazed into the semi-final with a 6-3, 6-3 dismantling of Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi. She served impeccably, controlled ground-stroke exchanges from the baseline and was never in trouble during the match that lasted only 69 minutes.

Semi-finals

A ruthless Keys crushed CoCo Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-2 setting the stage for an all-American final. She delivered an old-fashion thrashing as she needed just 66 minutes to beat Vandeweghe, who also lost in the semi-finals at the Australian Open. Keys never faced a break point and committed just nine unforced errors while firing 25 winners.

Sloane Stephens

Round 1

Stephens reached the second round with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Italian Roberta Vinci, who famously knocked out Serena Williams in 2015 US Open.

Round 2

She then knocked out 2014 Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in Round 2. Stephens and the 11th-seeded Cibulkova each made the same number of unforced errors, 39. The difference in the match was the winner count: Stephens had 43, nearly double Cibulkova’s 22.

Round 3

Stephens continued her excellent comeback from foot surgery, comfortably beating Ashleigh Barty of Australia 6-2, 6-4.

Round 4

She reached her first quarter-final in New York beating German 30th seed Julia Goerges 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Stephens’ strong serve helped her ease through the decider as the German began to falter.

Quarter-finals

She edged past 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4) in a thrilling match in the quarter-finals. Down 3-1 and a double break point in the third set, she dug deep and and forced a tiebreak. She clinched victory on her first match point with a thundering forehand winner down the line. Sevastova had upset Russia’s five-time Grand Slam champion and crowd favourite Maria Sharapova in the fourth round.

Semi-finals

She beat veteran Venus Williams 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 in a rollercoaster of a semi-final. She recovered from a second-set meltdown to end ninth seed Williams’ hopes of reaching a third Grand Slam final this year.

With inputs from agencies