Stephens dominates Keys

Sloane Stephens dominated Madison Keys, 6-3, 6-0 to win the US Open.  Stephens presented three major problems that Keys was unable to negotiate.  First was her spectacular movement, with regard to both speed and footwork.  Stephens’ blazing speed allowed her extend rallies even after scorching ground strokes from Keys, and her footwork allowed her to make telling shots even when rushed.  Second, Stephens hits a heavy ball, particularly on the forehand side, and Keys had a difficult time controlling the ball sufficiently to keep it in play.  Third, Stephens did not overplay.  She hit some very penetrating shots, but those shots were high percentage plays.  In many cases, Stephens won points simply because Keys, who plays a higher risk game, missed first.

Another problem for Keys in this match, and all of her matches, is that her flat, hard shots are not well suited to dealing with short balls.  One must hit short balls up to get them over the net, and Keys hits so hard and flat that she has trouble keeping those shots in the court.

From the perspective of the TV viewer, the only problem watching this masterful performance by Stephens came from the commentary by Chris Evert.  Leaving aside her irritatingly poor grammar, her focus on the psychological states of the players, rather than the specifics on how the points developed and were decided, was just plain tiresome.  Any statements about what a player is thinking and feeling must necessarily be based on speculation, and as such, they are not terribly informative.  Great players like Evert should be able to provide more trenchant insights into the way points evolve, the kinds of skills that shots pose for the opposing player, etc. 

Of interest now is where these two grand slam ingénues will go from here.  Will they establish a level of dominance in the sport, or fade into the background?  My hope is that they will continue to excel and produce great rivalries with the other current greats like the new number one, Muguruza, Pliskova, and the convalescent Kvitova.  Both Keys and Stephens have tremendous talent, so let’s hope they stay healthy and motivated. 

Men’s semifinals:  These went as predicted here, with Anderson and Nadal winning.  A word of advice to tennis balls:  Don’t sit up after a slice, three feet behind the service line, when Nadal is there, poised to hit a forehand.  If you do that you will get spanked!!