Madison Keys has been strong, imposing, and judicious at the same time at this year’s US Open swing. The American tennis star has left fellow players like Jessica Pegula and reigning Wimbledon champion, Marketa Vondrousova to secure a place for herself at the semi-finals of the year’s final Grand Slam. Now, as she gears up for a grueling face-off against Aryna Sabalenka, Keys breaks down her gameplay guided by her coach and fiance Bjorn Fratangelo, which surprisingly takes a page out of Ben Shelton‘s playbook!

Going down the same path as compatriot Ben Shelton, his powerful skills have reportedly helped her secure the victory. The duo have had a great partnership till now, as we have seen Keys cruising through the US Open. She recently delved into a deal with her boyfriend which eventually helped her secure a victory in the quarter-finals.

Madison Keys on the Ben Shelton-like deal which that improved her gameplay

The couple has been together since 2017. However, the duo never worked together until the advent of grass season this year. Since then, Keys has been guided by her fiance, which seems to be working well for the American tennis star. During her post-match conference, she confessed how her fiance’s challenge has helped her in her quarter-final match.

Emulating her compatriot, Ben Shelton, who has a record serve speed of 149 mph at this year’s US Open, Keys has been unbeatable this season. Focusing primarily on her serve, she has now disclosed the deal that she struck with her boyfriend: “It’s funny, Bjorn has been wanting me to go after it more so he said if I hit a 121 I get anything I want.” Keys gave her best, and stated, “I hit a 119 tonight so I was so close.”

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So, even though she could not reach her desired goal, she delivered on her winning quarter-final game plan: “Kind of the game plan tonight was try to get to the net when I could.” She did not rush to the net but focused on building momentum by gaining points in her favor whenever she could.

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She confessed, “I feel like I play a little bit, I guess, more controlled aggressive when I’m trying to build points to get to the net instead of trying to hit a straight winner.” This combined understanding of the game and dealing with her coach proved beneficial for Keys. However, his guidance did not go as planned while Keys played on the court.

Keys’ honest confession about her fiance’s coaching

The American tennis star hyped up the home crowd with her astounding performance on the court during her quarter-finals. This led to a frenzied US Open crowd loudly cheering for her.

Amidst that, her fiance was ardently trying to guide her during the match. However, Keys later confessed that she “couldn’t hear s**t.” The loud cheers of the crowd silenced the guidance of her coach. But his off-court guidance stayed with her, which led her to secure an impressive victory.

As Keys advances to the semi-finals, do you think she can take down Aryna Sabalenka? Drop your views in the comments section below!

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