Madison Keys was by far the more accomplished player entering her Cincinnati Open quarterfinal match against Sara Bejlek. Keys had won in Cincy before (2019) and had also won a major on a hard court. She took home the trophy at the 2025 Australian Open.
As for the 20-year-old Bejlek, she hadn't made it past the fourth round at any WTA 1000 or major before, and in the last two years, she had not made it past the second round at any of those levels. One would not have assumed that had they never seen Bejlek play, however; at least, not how she played against Keys.
The American took the opening set 6-3 and appeared ready to quickly move into the semifinals. She was the heavy favorite, of course, not only the more powerful player but also the player who has shown elite mental toughness throughout her career. She might not have come close to WTA No. 1, but she also didn't give up easily.
Sara Bejlek defeats Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Cincinnati Open
She was, in essence, Jessica Pegula-lite and was likely to take out her wrath on the younger player from Czechia. Instead, it was the American who dipped greatly in form. She struggled to land her first serve in the highest-stress moments and was hitting too many unforced errors. Bejlek's low serve wasn't something Keys could attack. She appeared confused about how to do so.
In set two, Bejlek was broken in the third game, and Keys held the lead until she was serving at 3-2, but then the Czech broke back. While Bejlek was a metronome of ball-striking consistency, Keys was too up and down in form, and Bejlek was taking advantage.
With Madison Keys serving at 4-5, she fought off one break point but couldn't fight off another, and the rising Bejlek got the break and the set. While she had the momentum entering the third set, one might have assumed experience to outweigh youth and Keys to take command of the match again. That wouldn't be so.
Bejlek held to start the final set and then broke Keys in the second game. In only a few minutes, the Czech led 3-0, but not by accident. She was playing more confidently and in control of herself, and she appeared likely to sweep into the first semifinal of a WTA 1000 in her career. That is when Keys turned the match around again.
Trailing 0-3, Keys began finding her form again and battled back to 4-all, after getting a break of Bejlek and then a solid hold. Neither player was performing poorly at this point, though. The match appeared ready to be decided by which player would hit the best shot last.
The third set finished in a tie-break with Keys getting a mini-break to start, but Bejlek won the next two points on Keys' serve. Not to worry for the American, however. Keys won the next two points of Bejlek's serve. The tie-break continued with each player struggling to hold serve until Bejlek was serving at 6-5 and match point. She was able to hit a wicked forehand winner to win the match.
Sara Bejlek will next face Coco Gauff or Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open. Bejlek won't be favored, but she has already proven in Cincy that that doesn't matter.
Add us as a preferred source on Google