Madison Keys of the United States is congratulated by Sara Bejlek of Czechia after their match during the quarterfinals on day eleven of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 21, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by MATTHEW STOCKMAN /AFP)
Cincinnati: Sara Bejlek rallied to reach the semi-finals of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters on Friday, beating Madison Keys 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).
The 20-year-old Czech backed up her fourth-round win over world number one Aryna Sabalenka with a determined victory over fifth-ranked Keys, a former
Australian Open champion who won the title in Cincinnati in 2019.
Bejlek got off to a slow start, trailing 0-3 on the way to dropping the first set, but rode a wave of momentum shifts into the final four where she'll face either fourth-seeded Coco Gauff or Marta Kostyuk.
The youngster broke first in the third set only for Keys to battle back and force the tiebreaker, in which Bejlek rallied from 4-2 down on the way to a victory capped by a stinging winner down the line on match point.
Bejlek, who won the title in Abu Dhabi in February as a wild card, continued a spectacular Cincinnati debut.
After a solid first set the 24th-ranked Keys opened the second on sweltering Stadium Court with a break in the third game, but Bejlek, ranked 35th, broke back in the sixth and held for a 4-3 lead.
Keys answered with a love game, but Bejlek turned the tables two games later, taking the contest into the third set as Keys hit the net with a backhand on the Czech's second set point.
