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Tennis: Madison Keys beats fatigued Bencic in Qatar

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Gregory WALTON, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/03/03/keys.jpg"/><figcaption>Madison Keys of the US walks off the court after losing to Greece&#x27;s Maria Sakkari in their women&#x27;s singles match on day five of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24, 2020. <em>Manan Vatsyayana, AFP</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>DOHA, Qatar -- America&#x27;s Madison Keys made a triumphant return to play against sixth seed Belinda Bencic, clinching three games in a row as she opened her campaign, winning her first match since September 6-4, 6-1.</p><p>But Swiss Bencic, making her third appearance at the Qatar Open where she made the quarter-finals last year, began her fightback in the fourth game.</p><p>The fatigue of playing into the final at the Adelaide International last week and the punishing flight to Qatar surely contributed to Bencic&#x27;s visible fatigue.</p><p>Keys was more proficient in the big moments, meaning Bencic struggled in vain to steal a break, allowing the American to mop up five of the first seven games.</p><p>But Bencic bounced back when she was two games behind Keys, securing the ninth game and an ace in the 39th minute which could have helped her go level.</p><p>Keys overcame her resistance to steal the first set and her backhand side allowed her to maintain the pressure on Bencic in the second.</p><p>Keys closed out the final games with stellar serving, a superb forehand and a memorable backhand to take the penultimate game. </p><p>Her form was reminiscent of that which got her to the US Open final in 2017.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s amazing to be back -- I&#x27;m smiling under my mask,&quot; said Keys whose coronavirus diagnosis meant she missed the Australian Open.</p><p>She will now face Maria Sakkari who also had a good win in her first-round match.</p><p>Qualifier Laura Siegemund also pulled off an upset, seeing off Elena Rybakina 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/5) having lost both her last encounters with Rybakina in 2019.</p><div><strong>- Quarantine advantage -</strong></div><p>Wang Qiang, coached by Pat Cash, quickly applied pressure to Jessica Pegula during her opening service game but succumbed 6-3, 6-1.</p><p>But American Pegula fought back from several break points with defensive tennis, forcing Wang into errors with the Chinese player nonetheless scraping out an important win in the seventh game.</p><p>Wang served to stay in the set, taking it to eight games.</p><p>Wang came out of the gates fighting in the second game of the second set, achieving a break back.</p><p>Overall, Wang gave the impression of being out of sorts while Pegula consolidated her game and looked in form.</p><p>Pegula, who was making her debut in the main draw, was clinical in the closing stages of the match, dispatching Wang in just over an hour. </p><p>&quot;I worked really hard in the (Australian Open) quarantine and got really healthy. I just decided I was going to be the mentally tough one,&quot; she said.</p><p>She will face Latvia&#x27;s Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.</p><p>Tunisia&#x27;s Ons Jabeur, who reached the Qatar Open quarter-finals in 2020 and is famed for self-proclaimed &quot;crazy shots&quot;, efficiently saw off Russia&#x27;s Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-2.</p><p>Neither has won a singles title before but Jabeur is now in a position to better her Qatar quarter-final performance last year as she progresses to the second round.</p><p>Jabeur raced into the lead, buoyed by the Tunisian expats in the modest crowd, running rings around Blinkova with her deft touches.</p><p>&quot;We love to play each other here in Doha... it&#x27;s going to be extremely tough,&quot; said Jabeur of number two seed Karolina Pliskova who she will face in the second round.</p><p>Japan&#x27;s Misaki Doi closed the day&#x27;s proceedings, beating China&#x27;s Zheng Saisai 6-4, 6-3.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VNUquE4gomY?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Madison Keys made a triumphant return to play against sixth seed Belinda Bencic, winning her first match since September 6-4, 6-1.</p>

Madison Keys made a triumphant return to play against sixth seed Belinda Bencic, winning her first match since September 6-4, 6-1.

Tennis: Madison Keys beats fatigued Bencic in Qatar

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Tennis: Madison Keys beats fatigued Bencic in Qatar

Gregory WALTON,

Agence France-Presse

Published March 03, 2021 09:28 AM PHT

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tennis

Qatar Open

Madison Keys

Belinda Bencic

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