Madison Keys Reaches Birmingham SFs, Closes In On Top 10; Angelique Kerber Falls

Madison Keys moved within one match win of breaking the Top 10 Friday after a 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2 win over teen Jelena Ostapenko to reach the Birmingham semifinals.

“It’s tough being on the tour for this long and being at the old age of 21; these 19 year olds are tough!” joked Keys.

Keys will meet Carla Saurez Navarro in the semifinals. Should Keys reach the final, she will be assured of a Top 10 debut, becoming the first American to do so since Serena Williams in 1999. The last time three Americans were ranked inside the Top 10 was all the way back in September of 2005, when the Williams sisters were joined by then-No. 2 Lindsay Davenport.

Suarez Navarro took down No. 2 seed and Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

“It was really tough,” Carlo said. “Angie was fighting all the time, til the end. Every point was very tough; we had to fight five, six balls to win each point. But I’m really happy with the way I finished the match.”

Kerber was playing her second match on the day to the rain.

In the other semifinal, Den Bosch winner CoCo Vandeweghe will try to keep her streak going against Barbora Strycova.

The semifinals in Mallorca feature former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic against Anastasija Sevastova and former Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens verse Caroline Garcia.