They Battle Again

A rematch of our 2015 Volvo Car Open final will take place tonight in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open at 7pm EST. Our 2015 champion, Angelique Kerber of Germany, will face off against American Madison Keys to see who advances to the semifinals at the Grand Slam in Australia.

The two competitors treated Charleston crowds to a thrilling finals match in 2015, where the veteran Kerber managed to edge-out Keys in three sets, winning 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 to take the title. In an embattled, almost 3 hour match, the final set provided an exciting comeback in which Kerber battled back from a 4-1 deficit to capture the final set and eventual title. Flash forward to 2018 where Keys and Kerber will rematch in quarterfinals play at the Australian Open, in what is building to be a gem of a draw.

Madison Keys, who has already committed to the field for the 2018 Volvo Car Open, has had her powerful style of play on full display so far in Melbourne. Dominating opponents through the first four rounds of play, No. 17 Keys cruised past world No. 8 Caroline Garcia, another VCO hopeful, in the fourth round to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Keys hasn’t lost a set yet in this Grand Slam, and she is the only American woman left in the tournament. It’s been a great run for Keys after injury forced her to miss last year’s Australian Open.

On the other side of net, Angelique Kerber might be the only player playing as hot as Keys in the tournament. She is the only player to have lost fewer total games in the tournament, (13 games compared to Keys’ 14), and is also the only former Grand Slam singles winner left in play. Kerber, a former World No. 1, has had the upper hand in past matches with Keys, but all bets are off as the two look to be healthy and playing some of their most dominant tennis of the season so far. Can Kerber become one step closer to repeating her 2016 Australian Open victory, or will Keys get the revenge she’s been seeking since our 2015 final?

We’ll find out tonight. Be sure to tune in for the quarterfinal action tonight, Feb. 23rd at 7:00pm EST.