“I have wanted this for so long,” echoed Madison Keys’ unwavering voice across the Melbourne courts on January 25th this year, as she basked in the glory of her maiden Grand Slam under the iconic Melbourne lights. But the triumph was short-lived. A crushing SF defeat to Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells marked a sudden dip in form, and finals became a rarity. Now, with a Grand Slam QF spot secured after outplaying fellow American Hailey Baptiste on Parisian clay, Keys is back in the spotlight. And behind this resurgence? A familiar face from her coaching team.

Madison Keys, 30, stormed into the French Open QF for the 1st time since 2019 with a commanding 6-3, 7-5 victory over fellow American Hailey Baptiste. A semifinalist in Paris back in 2018 and a quarterfinalist the following year, Keys is now enjoying just her 2nd second-week appearance at Roland Garros since then. The 7th, who had reached six GS semifinals before finally clinching her maiden major title, is now set for a high-stakes clash against fellow American Coco Gauff, after the former US Open champion defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova.

However, while the milestone is worthy of celebration, Keys is quick to shine the spotlight on someone special from her coaching team. This figure has provided the confidence boost and unwavering belief that helped Keys rise above the odds and rediscover her top form on the grand stage.

Speaking with the TNT crew at Roland Garros a couple of hours ago, Madison Keys offered a heartfelt and humorous glimpse into her dynamic with husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo. She candidly shared why he’s earned the title of being “unfirable.” “He’s definitely unfireable and I think he toes the line sometimes, but um there’s definitely times where he’ll say something and like I just glare at him and he just laughs because he knows,” she said.

Keys went on to describe Bjorn’s blunt honesty, something she’s grown to appreciate deeply, even if it can be tough to hear mid-match. “But as I’m sure you all know Bjorn quite well, he doesn’t really hold back. He kind of says what he thinks what he feels, and you kind of know what he’s thinking, kind of at all moments, doesn’t really have much of a filter. So in a lot of ways, that’s great sometimes, when you know you’re down in the third, it’s not really what you want to hear, but sometimes it’s what you need to hear,” she added.

Well, beyond the baseline, Keys and Fratangelo’s love story has blossomed both personally and professionally. The athletic duo, who began dating in 2017, got engaged in March 2023 and exchanged vows in a beautiful autumn ceremony in South Carolina in November 2024. A former tennis pro himself, Fratangelo stepped away from the sport in 2023 and, as Keys once told PEOPLE, took on the coaching role “kind of begrudgingly.”

Their bond was on full display earlier this year when Keys triumphed at the AO. Holding back tears and clutching her first major trophy, she looked toward her husband in the crowd and said, “And to be here and have this trophy, and my husband, who is looking confused over there… I love you too. I love you all so much.” That touching moment left Fratangelo visibly emotional.

Now, as Madison chases another Grand Slam semifinal berth, she continues to rely on the strength of that partnership. With back-to-back challenges ahead, it’s clear that love, honesty, and trust are fueling her latest surge.

Madison Keys opens up about the tough QF challenge she is about to face in France

Against Hailey Baptiste, Madison Keys cruised through a routine 1st set but faced a real test in the second. She trailed 3-1 early and found herself just two points from dropping the set when her younger compatriot, on the deepest run of her GS career, pushed the tenth game to deuce. Still, Keys held firm, closing out the match and continuing her impressive run in Paris.

Now riding an 11-match GS winning streak, the reigning AO champion is eyeing a rare double. Should she go all the way, Keys would become just the 6th woman to win both Melbourne and Paris in the same year, joining legends like Margaret Court, Stefanie Graf, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, and Serena Williams.

But the road ahead is anything but easy, as Keys prepares to face Coco Gauff for a coveted SF spot. “I think Coco is obviously pretty dominant on clay,” Keys said. “I would say it’s probably her best surface to play on. It’s obviously a big challenge. So I think that’s always one of the trickier things when you’re playing someone who moves as well as she does. Then you also have the threat against her of if at any point you kind of lose control of the point, she’s going to be the aggressor. So I think the biggest thing is the balance of going for things, but with enough margin that it’s a repeatable ball, shot after shot.”

With two American GS champions colliding in the quarterfinals, all eyes are on this blockbuster battle. Who will rise to the occasion and punch their ticket to the semifinals?