Aug 18, 2019; Mason, OH, USA; Madison Keys (USA) poses for a photo with the Rookwood Cup after defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) during the finals of the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament at Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
(Reuters) – American Madison Keys overcame Svetlana Kuznetsova leads in both sets to defeat the Russian for the Cincinnati Masters title on Sunday.
The confidence-boosting 7-5 7-6(5) victory sent Keys into the U.S. Open later this month as the world’s number 10 ranked player, officials said.
“If you told me a week ago this is where I would be, I would have laughed in your face!” Keys said in accepting the tournament trophy.
In both sets, the 2017 U.S. Open finalist trailed 5-3 before rallying to win.
Keys won four consecutive games to claim the opener. She needed a tiebreak to prevail in the second.
The triumph was the fourth in a row on hardcourts for the 16th-seeded Keys over Kuznetsova.
Keys delivered 13 aces and 45 winners against 29 unforced errors. Kuznetsova had just two aces and 15 winners.
Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; editing by Tony Lawrence