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US OPEN

August 28, 2019

Madison Keys

New York, NY, USA

M. KEYS/Zhu Lin

6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk about the match, how you feel you played.
MADISON KEYS: I think I maybe started a little bit slow. I think some of that was just getting used to her and how she was playing. But I feel like after I got broken in the first set, I feel like I played some really good tennis. I was really happy with my performance today.

Q. Talk about the desire to get back to the final. Is it a little bit too early in the tournament to think about that?
MADISON KEYS: Honestly, I'm just worried about my next round. That's really all I can focus on right this second.

Q. How would you compare the way you're feeling and playing to when you had that run?
MADISON KEYS: Honestly, I don't even know. I mean, it was a couple years ago. I obviously was feeling good then. But I'm feeling good now. I think I've had some really good matches so far.

Just looking forward to my next round.

Q. Grateful you got to play while almost everybody else did not?
MADISON KEYS: Very happy that we have two covered stadiums now, and I was scheduled on one of them (smiling). Definitely very happy about that.

Q. Could you sense at all you were the only match on the grounds? I don't know how you would tell.
MADISON KEYS: I guess I kind of just knew that the stadium was probably a little bit more full than if all the other matches were going on.

But, I mean, that stadium, it's kind of hard to tell if there's anything else going on.

Q. You said you didn't know much about her as an opponent. What was the preparation like going on and what were your expectations?
MADISON KEYS: I was able to watch some of her first round. I knew she was going to be a really good returner and get a lot of balls back. I knew things were going to come pretty fast and low. I was expecting that. Knew I had to just be really prepared, just know that a ton of balls were going to come back.

Q. Since we don't know who your next opponent will be, you have 1-1 records against both. Starting with Kenin, what would you say is the biggest challenge of her game for you and what is the key to playing well against her?
MADISON KEYS: I think she has been having a really great year, year and a half even. She is just really crafty. She knows how to take time away but knows when to take pace off and all that. She's just a really, really smart player.

Q. Then Laura?
MADISON KEYS: I don't even know who I was supposed to play (smiling).

Q. Been a while since you played her.
MADISON KEYS: I think they're very similar in some ways. I think Kenin maybe has a bit more firepower to her game. Same thing, Laura is super crafty, knows how to absorb pace really well, take time away. She's really good with her hands.

No matter who wins, it's going to be a difficult match.

Q. Sloane was telling a story a few days ago about you watching her eating sushi during a match.
MADISON KEYS: Yeah, it was gross.

Q. They were showing Venus having some coffee delivered to her match. Do you have any weird eating habits or anything like that that you would or would not do during a match?
MADISON KEYS: I'm not going to eat sushi in the middle of a match ever. That was really gross, yeah (smiling).

No, I keep it pretty basic.

Q. How did reaching the finals here affect your psychological approach every time you've played here since, if at all?
MADISON KEYS: I don't think it really has in many ways. I have lots of really great memories here. I've had some of my best matches, most exciting matches on the grounds here. That's always, you know, really special for me.

But it comes from even my first Grand Slam win was here. I've always had great memories of playing at the US Open. I just love playing here. Always excited when I get to play multiple matches in a row.

Q. What do you think that does for your game now?
MADISON KEYS: I think it just gives me the confidence that no matter how a match is going, I've figured out ways in the past of how to get through them. I've used the crowd and all that. I think just having that in the memory bank is really helpful.

Q. As an American, you talk about having some of your best results here. How much of it is attributable to you being American, playing on U.S. soil?
MADISON KEYS: It's always a big factor. There's been matches where I've been pretty much down and out, and the crowd has stayed behind me, gotten me back into the match, help support me through the entirety of the match.

I mean, the crowd is always amazing. Being able to use them, have them behind you all the time, is really, really great.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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