Keys crushes Vandeweghe to seal place in US final

Madison Keys played superbly to beat Coco Vandeweghe for the loss of just three games and reach her first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

Keys, seeded 15th, won 6-1 6-2 in New York and goes on to face unseeded Sloane Stephens in the final.

Stephens, ranked 83rd, beat Venus Williams in the first semi-final.

The pair will make their major final debuts on Saturday in the first all-American women’s final since Serena Williams beat Venus in 2002.

• Stephens beats Williams to reach final
• Live scores and results

Keys’ coach, Lindsay Davenport, in 1998 was the last American woman outside the Williams family to win the title in New York.

She could not have asked for more from Keys in only her second Grand Slam semi-final, with the 22-year-old dominating 20th seed Vandeweghe in every aspect.

It was their third meeting in as many tournaments, and produced the same result as Keys made it 3-0 in their head-to-head.

I knew had to rise to the occasion and I’m just really happy to be in the final

The only concern was a thigh issue that required strapping, but she said afterwards: “I definitely started to feel it and was worried something more serious could happen.

“I felt like I needed it worked on sooner rather than later. I feel great right now, I don’t think I could feel better than I do right now.”

Keys won the first five games for the loss of four points in 13 minutes, her powerful game impressively under control as she made just two unforced errors in the set.

Vandeweghe, 25, managed to at least slow her compatriot’s progress in the second but was soon a break down, and when Keys leant into a backhand down the line to break again for 4-1 she let out a scream of delight.

Given her huge lead it came as a surprise when Keys took a medical timeout off court, and she returned seven minutes later with her right thigh heavily strapped.

It made no difference to the outcome, with Keys returning to hold serve twice more and sealing victory with an ace.

“I knew had to rise to the occasion and I’m just really happy to be in the final,” said Keys, who ended with 25 winners and just nine errors.

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'Tired' Del Potro seeks to upset Nadal in semis

Juan Martin del Potro will try to extend his thrilling US Open run all the way to the final when he faces top seed Rafael Nadal in the last four.

The Argentine 24th seed came back from two sets down to beat Dominic Thiem in round four and beat five-time champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals.

Del Potro and Nadal meet in Friday’s second semi-final at about 23:30 BST.

Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta and Kevin Anderson of South Africa open play at 21:00.

The pair will make their Grand Slam semi-final debuts after excelling in the bottom half of the draw, which lost British second seed Andy Murray to injury before the tournament started.

• Stephens beats Williams to reach women’s final
• Hewett & Reid make wheelchair doubles final

‘Sport is not that difficult’

Del Potro has been the story of the second week in the men’s draw with his miraculous comeback against Thiem followed by a brilliant win over Federer.

However, the 28-year-old has spent 13 hours and 20 minutes on court – one hour and 40 minutes more than Nadal – and admitted: “Physically I’m not in the perfect conditions, but when you play semi-finals on the Grand Slam, everything can happen.

“So you must be ready for the chance and playing against Rafa in my favourite tournament, I will try to enjoy the atmosphere, the game, and I know if I play my best tennis, I could be a danger for him.”

Asked about the huge forehand which has brought him 69 winners already, he added with a smile: “He’s a lefty guy, so he has chance to find easily my backhand.

“So I don’t know what’s going to be my strategy for that match.

“But for sure I will try to make winners with my forehands and don’t run too much, because my legs are tired.”

Nadal, 31, is looking to end the Grand Slam season with his second major of the year and 16th overall, and his form has steadily improved in New York.

“Sport is not that difficult,” said the Spaniard. “The player who plays better that day is the player that is going to have better chances.

“Then there are small adjustments, if you can do it, yes. But the most important thing is to play at my best level.

“If I play at my best level, I believe I’m going to have my chances against everybody.”

‘You have to do your best to take advantage’

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, fifth seed Marin Cilic and eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were among the leading names to lose early, and the less heralded Carreno Busta and Anderson have taken full advantage.

Carreno Busta, seeded 12th, played qualifiers in his first four matches and then beat 29th seed Diego Schwartzman, reaching the semis without dropping a set.

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Celebrities At 2017 US Open

Celebrities At 2017 US Open

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Stephens beats Williams to make US Open final

Unseeded Sloane Stephens held her nerve to beat Venus Williams in three sets and set up a US Open final against fellow American Madison Keys.

Stephens, ranked 83rd after recently returning from injury, won 6-1 0-6 7-5 in the first semi-final at Flushing Meadows in New York.

In another all-US contest, 15th seed Keys then beat Coco Vandeweghe, seeded 20th, 6-1 6-2.

Both Stephens and Keys will make their Grand Slam final debuts on Saturday.

It will be the first time since Serena Williams beat Venus in 2002 that a US Open women’s final has featured two American players.

“Having four Americans in the semi-finals, I think that says a lot about American tennis and where we are right now,” said Stephens.

“I don’t think I would have had it any other way. I’m just super proud and honoured to be a part of what these four girls were, what we did tonight.”

• Watch: 5 live commentary team look ahead to the final
• Keys thrashes Vandeweghe to make final
• Live scores and results

“I have no idea how I have done it. Your guess is as good as mine.

Stephens only returned to action at Wimbledon, ranked 957th, after missing 11 months with a foot injury.

Two months later the 24-year-old is on a run of 14 wins in 16 matches and through to her first major final, with her speed of foot and athleticism to the fore.

“I have no words to describe my feelings and what it took to get here. I have no words,” said Stephens.

“I have no idea how I have done it. Your guess is as good as mine.

“If someone had told me when I started my comeback that I would make two semi-finals and a Grand Slam final I would have passed out. I don’t know how I did it. Just hard work.”

Williams, 37, misses out on returning to the US Open final 15 years after her last, and the two-time champion will end 2017 without adding another major title despite reaching two finals and a semi-final.

“For me, it’s about putting myself in the position all the time to get the titles, and that’s exactly what I did,” said Williams.

“That’s all I could do.”

‘I hung tough, gritted it out’

Williams was playing in her 23rd major semi-final, as opposed to Stephens in her first, but the seven-time Grand Slam champion made a nervous start.

Seventeen unforced errors from Williams saw the first set disappear in 24 minutes, and she was in danger again facing three break points at the start of the second.

However, she grew in confidence from clinging on and began to attack the Stephens serve at will, breaking three times to level without dropping a game.

After 54 minutes of wildly uneven quality, the third set proved to be a gripping decider.

Williams twice recovered from a break down and appeared to be on the brink of victory at 5-5, 30-30, pushing Stephens back into the corner as she advanced to the net.

It brought the best out of the younger player, who found a magnificent backhand pass that brought the 23,000 spectators to their feet and wrenched the initiative her way.

Stephens would win six points in a row, including chasing down two drop shots and making spectacular winners, on her way to breaking the Williams serve.

Both women had dropped serve five times, but there was no wobble from Stephens as she moved confidently to match point, before Williams tamely netted a return.

“I hung tough, gritted it out,” said Stephens. “I worked my tail off. We played some incredible points in the third set.”

Analysis

BBC Sport tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

After two of the most one-sided sets you are ever likely to see in a Grand Slam semi-final, Williams threw everything she had at Stephens in the decider.

The younger American’s defence was extraordinary, but it was matched by the resilience of Williams who twice recovered a break.

And then, as she served to stay in the match, at 4-5 30-all, Stephens hit one of the backhand winners of her life to end a pulsating rally – and went on to win 10 of the last 11 points.

She was ranked 957 in the world in late July, after nearly a year out with a foot injury.

“Eventually, I will beat someone,” she said after a first-round defeat in Washington the following week.

How right she was.

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Britain's Hewett and Reid reach US Open wheelchair doubles final

Britain’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are into the final of the US Open men’s wheelchair doubles after a straight-set victory over Gustavo Fernandez and Shingo Kunieda.

The second seeds beat the Argentine-Japanese pair 6-3 6-2.

They will face the winner of Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer versus Joachim Gerard and Stefan Olsson.

Hewett, 19, is making his debut at Flushing Meadows, while 25-year-old Reid won the title in 2015.

• Live scores and results

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Highlights Del Potro Overpowers Federer US Open 2017

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