For the first time in ten years, No. 7 seed American Madison Keys defeated China’s Zheng Qinwen 7-5, 6-1 at the Citi Open’s opening match.
The 20-year-old Zheng, who won her first WTA singles championship on the clay courts of Palermo two weeks ago, had a five-match winning streak snapped by Keys with a victory on Tuesday night.
The American saved three break points at 4-4 in the first set to stay in front of Zheng, and Keys eventually converted her first set point at 6-5 by forcing an error with a penetrating backhand. Two of Zheng’s 10 double faults ceded a 2-0 lead to Keys in the second set, and the seventh seed rolled to victory from there.
Keys will come back on Wednesday night for an all-American second-round tussle with Jennifer Brady, who picked up her first tour-level win in nearly two years on Tuesday.