Eastbourne (Agencies): Madison Keys produced a dominant display as she beat Daria Kasatkina in straight sets to win the Eastbourne International for a second time.
The American, 28, triumphed 6-2 7-6 (15-13) as she lifted her seventh WTA title in one hour and 42 minutes. Keys breezed through the first set and, although she missed championship points in a second set tie-break, she eventually closed out the contest.
It was Keys’ first WTA title success since the Adelaide 250 in January 2022. Keys was quickly out of the blocks as she backed up a confident opening service game with an emphatic break to love.
World number 11 Kasatkina, ranked 14 places above Keys, was risk averse for the remainder of the set and the Russian had no answer to Keys’ powerful ground strokes.
Keys took a 4-1 lead in the second after an early break but Kasatkina sparked into life and even missed a chance to serve for the set at 6-5 before it went to a thrilling tie-break.
Keys squandered three championship points on serve during the topsy-turvy tie-break, while Kasatkina missed a chance of her own to square the match.
At the fourth opportunity Keys settled the contest, as she won a marathon rally with a powerful cross-court forehand. “To win here again gives me really good memories of Eastbourne, it feels like home,” Keys said.
“It was a really stressful tie-breaker and sorry to Daria about all the lets – I kept hitting the top of the net today!”
History repeats for Keys
Keys beat Angelique Kerber in three sets as a 19-year-old to win the 2014 tournament at Eastbourne – her first WTA title.
Nine years later, Keys delivered a commanding all-round performance as she showed her maturity, and the ability to raise her game, to see off Kasatkina’s spirited fightback.
Nobody has won Eastbourne and Wimbledon in the same year since Jana Novotna in 1998. Based on this impressive display – Keys did not drop a set at Eastbourne – she will be among the players to watch at the All England Club, having never gone further than the quarter-finals previously.
“If you told me two weeks ago this where I would be, I wouldn’t have believed you,” added Keys, who has never won a Grand Slam but reached the final of the US Open in 2017.
“After a tough year, being able to hold this trophy is absolutely amazing.”
Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo beat Tommy Paul of the United States in three sets to win the men’s singles title at Eastbourne.
Cerundolo, who is 19th in the world rankings, quickly secured the one game he needed to complete victory in his rain-affected semi-final against Mackenzie McDonald, before beating Paul 6-4 1-6 6-4 in the final. Paul had beaten France’s Gregoire Barrere 6-4 6-3 in his semi-final, which was played in full earlier on Saturday.
