Indian Wells drama: Madison Keys overpowers Donna Vekic after stunning comeback

Madison Keys narrowly escaped defeat in the 4th round of Indian Wells against a determined Donna Vekic, who couldn’t capitalize on her opportunities, allowing the American to take the win 4-6, 7-6 [9-7], 6-3.

The 2025 Australian Open champion extends her winning streak to 15 consecutive matches and will face a highly anticipated match against Belinda Bencic. Vekic led in the second set’s tie-break, but Keys made an almost miraculous comeback to claim the victory.

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First Set

Before arriving at Tennis Paradise, Vekic had suffered four consecutive losses, but she seems to be back in form now. Keys took on her role as the favourite from the start and quickly created several break opportunities in the opening games, though she couldn't convert any of them.

Although the American looked stronger at the beginning, with a solid 71% first-serve percentage, Vekic was the first to break and then defended her serve impressively, taking the lead 4-2. Keys showed resilience by breaking back, but she couldn't hold her serve and handed the set to Vekic, who closed it 6-4 with an 83% first-serve success rate (compared to just 45% from her opponent).

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Second Set

The chances seemed clear for Vekic, who is hard to challenge when she's on point with her serve. However, her opponent was the 2025 Australian Open champion, a local player on a 14-match winning streak. Both players held serve, with Keys being more dominant, as she won up to 10 consecutive points on her serve in the early part of the set.

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However, no breaks were achieved by either player, and for most of the set, neither allowed a break point. The pressure was felt when they reached 4-4. First, Keys had to save a 30-30, and then she had the first break point of the set on Vekic’s serve when the American was leading 5-4, but Vekic saved it with an ace.

It all came down to a tiebreak, where Vekic started with the advantage, but Keys recovered the mini-break. The American had a tough time after dropping three set points as the tension mounted. However, an unforced error from Vekic eventually gave Keys the set by 7-6 [9-7]

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Third Set

The World No. 5 seized the momentum and started the third set with an opening break, quickly taking a 2-0 lead. Vekic managed to hold on with her serve for a couple of games. However, when Keys was leading 4-2, she got a second break, practically sealing the win.

At 5-2, with the chance to close the match, Keys began with a double fault, a sign of the tension of the moment. The mistakes cost her dearly, as Vekic broke back and revived her hopes by pulling it back to 5-3. However, it wasn't enough, as the American broke again and won the match in a rollercoaster, 4-6, 7-6[9-7], 6-3. In the quarterfinals, she will face the nearly unstoppable Belinda Bencic, who recently defeated World No. 3 Coco Gauff in three sets.

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