Credit One Bank Day 5: Team Peace getting ever-closer to victory

Day 5 of the Credit One Bank saw Team Peace inch closer to the tournament victory on the backs of another strong Jennifer Brady performance and a comfortable doubles victory by Tomljanovic and Dolehide.

Team Peace has shown again why they’re fit to be the best. They went 2-1 and had a shot to go 3-0 until Team Kindness captain, Madison Keys, took the opening match victory in Day 5.

Match #1: (C) Madison Keys (Team Kindness) def. Sofia Kenin (Team Peace) 6-3, 5-7, 10-2

This was the most important match to win for Keys and her team. If Kenin were to take the victory, it’d be a 17-10 lead for Team Peace. Keys started off well, breaking Kenin in her first service game and got up to 3-love. From there, it was hold after hold until Keys held at love to take the first set 6-3.

The second set is where the drama started. Keys got up to 4-0 over Kenin and looked well her way to an easy victory. Kenin, however, turned her game up a notch and rattled off 2 holds and a break to get to 3-4. Keys then held and was one game from the match.

She was one single point from taking it in the very next game but Kenin was able to fight off the match point and hold for 5-4. Kenin ripped through Keys’ serve, breaking her to get to 5-all. She then held for 6-5 and finished Keys off again with another break of serve. Kenin won 7 of the final 8 games of the set and had all of the momentum moving into the 10-point tiebreak.

Keys fought through her struggles and was able to dominate the tiebreak. She won the final 6 points after going up 4-2.

(Team Peace leads 14-13)

Match #2: Tomljanovic/Dolehide (Team Peace) def. Fernandez/Puig (Team Kindness) 7-6. 7-6

Tomljanovic served very well in this match and was able to take the match in straight sets. It was tightly contested throughout both sets but ultimately, it was the Team Peace duo that was able to take the win and re-establish their lead.

(Team Peace leads 17-13)

Match #3: Jennifer Brady (Team Peace) def. Sloane Stephens (Team Kindness) 6-2, 7-6

Brady got off to a hot start here against Stephens, going up 3-0 before the 2017 US Open Champ could get a game on the scoreboard. From there, Stephens broke to get on-serve and had a chance to tie up the set at 3-all. She couldn’t capitalize and Brady broke right back for 4-2. She held and broke Stephens once again for a strong first set victory.

Stephens had a couple of chances to take charge in the second. She had three break points at 1-all but couldn’t convert. After being broken the very next game, she broke back and held to get the match to 3-all. The two players held without a break of serve (Stephens had two break points at 4-all) until 6-all. In the tiebreak, Brady got it to a comfortable 6-2 lead and needed three match points to finally finish off the win.

This was a very clutch win for Team Peace, as they put themselves 7 points ahead and only 5 points from the tournament victory. Brady is now 3-0 in this tournament and is proving why she’s a key part of Mattek-Sands’ Team Peace.

(Team Peace leads 20-13)

Day 6 lookahead

Sunday is the final day of the tournament and it’s going to be a wild one. Every player will be competing in “Super Sunday”, where 4 doubles matches will take place (and one carryover singles match from yesterday’s action) to determine the winner of the Credit One Bank International.

Team Peace had a clutch day yesterday, going 2-1 in matches to extend their lead to 7 points. They’ll need only two victories to be declared the winners of the tournament.