American tennis star Madison Keys said she was proud of the way she fought in Cincinnati and thanked Petra Kvitova for the kind words she delivered following their semifinal match. Playing in her first semifinal since the Australian Open, Keys suffered a 6-7 (6) 6-4 6-3 loss to Kvitova.
“Close one today, but I’m really proud of how hard I fought all week. Just going to keep pushing forward for more good to come. Thanks @Petra_Kvitova for the kind words after. Also @CincyTennis you’ve been amazing to me like always and I can’t wait to see you next year,” Keys tweeted.
Close one today, but I’m really proud of how hard I fought all week. Just going to keep pushing forward for more good to come 😊
Thanks @Petra_Kvitova for the kind words after ♥️
Also @CincyTennis you’ve been amazing to me like always and I can’t wait to see you next year 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/YcWETYsiAx — Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) August 20, 2022
Kvitova delivered classy words to Keys after the match
After preventing Keys from making the final in front of her home fans, Kvitova said the American played great and added that “both deserved to win.”
“It was an incredible battle,” Kvitova said after the match. “I have to say Madison played a really great match. It was a really, really tight one. This is very special, to be honest. I was going to the match today, and I was telling myself that I have never been in the final here.
I had many, many finals but never here. So finally it’s here. Actually, who knows how it will end tomorrow, but this is already a big step for me.” En route to reaching the Cincinnati semifinal, Keys stunned first-seeded Iga Swiatek and 2022 Wimbleedon champion Elena Rybakina.
Kvitova felt sympathy for Keys following their match, saying that she deserved the victory as much as she did. “I don’t think I experienced many matches like this. We didn’t really miss. I don’t think we did anything badly in the end.
Sometimes you have some weak spots, but not today, either of us. I told Madison she played so great today. I think that today both deserve to win,” Kvitova added.
