Take Five: Madison Keys strong, Rajeev Ram wins doubles in Cincinnati

The rising star quickly took to Twitter to quell any fears about serious damage. “I promise I am ok!” she tweeted, saying that she likely endured “a really minor sprain” and that “everything should be healed very soon.” 

While she and partner Pegula were forced to withdraw from doubles before competition began, the latter player advanced to the quarterfinals – where she lost against eventual tournament champion Caroline Garcia of France.

Madison Keys reaches semifinals

Madison Keys – the 2017 US Open singles finalist who’s currently world No. 20 – has enjoyed some career highlights in 2022, reaching the semifinals in singles at the Australian Open and the same round in doubles at Roland Garros. 

The 27-year-old landed another big result last week by advancing to the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open, defeating big names like world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland in the third round and this year’s Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. Keys' 6-3, 6-4 win against Swiatek was her first against a reigning world No. 1 in her career. 

Keys ultimately fell to a resurgent Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3, in the semifinals. 

“It was an incredible battle,” Kvitova said post-match. 

Keys rose four spots in the rankings on Monday. She is now the fourth-ranked American in the WTA Top 25 singles rankings, behind Pegula (No. 8), Gauff (No. 12) and Danielle Collins (No. 19).

NCAA champ Ben Shelton secures US Open wild card

Six months ago, Ben Shelton of Florida was focused on a different kind of “major” as a sophomore at the University of Florida. Now, the 19-year-old – who won the NCAA men's singles title in spring — will compete in his first Grand Slam tournament as a main draw player at the 2022 US Open. 

The son of former ATP pro and current coach Bryan Shelton, Ben has gone 19-7 in pro-level events. That includes two semifinals and two runner-up finishes at ATP Challengers events. 

The teenager, who jumped 53 ranking spots to world No. 229 on Monday, impressed in Cincinnati. After defeating No. 56 Lorenzo Sonego of Italy for his first ATP Top 100 win, the wild card stunned No. 5 Casper Ruud of Norway 6-3, 6-3 in the second round. 

Though he subsequently fell to Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie – who eventually reached the singles semifinals – in Round 3, Shelton has already shown tremendous promise. 

“I'm finding it an easier time the more I'm in these situations, getting my heart rate down and feeling more calm on the court,” Shelton said after downing Ruud.

Read more about Shelton in our profile here.

Elsewhere around the tours, Americans impressed at the following events:

• Emma Navarro reached the singles semifinals of the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open.
• Angela Kulikov, partnered with Hungary’s Timea Babos, made the women’s doubles final at the same tournament.