Iga Swiatek came, conquered, and moved on! Just like that, even Madison Keys has seen the Pole conquer on the court. Recently, the American, before her last match against Danielle Collins in Strasbourg, responded coldly when questioned about taking on the world number one who does “a really good job of constantly keeping pressure” on the opponent.

In a press conference ahead of the final showdown against the 30-year-old tennis player, Keys was asked about how it feels to lay against the four-time Grand Slam champion. To which she replied, “Sucks, yeah, it sucks,” wasting no minute thinking about their past competitions. However, at the same time, she also highlighted some of Swiatek’s tactics that literally make her stand out of the crowd.

The 29-year-old American said, “She moves really well on clay, and she kinds of times everything really well and you feel like she doesn’t get wrong-footed very often. She’s just able to reset the point over and over and over again, so you feel like you never get ahead, and then you start trying to make something out of nothing. And that’s when I think people start messing more going for too much and she does a really good job of constantly keeping pressure on you.”

Whether it be Keys or Collins, both of them have constantly faced defeat against the world’s number one-ranked tennis player. However, the way the 16th-ranked tennis player gives a chilly reaction, it won’t be wrong to say that somewhere down the line, the 22-year-old tennis star has figured out a way to give tough competition to her opponents.

Besides, ahead of the French Open, looking at the way the world number one has achieved victory both in Rome and Madrid, she is one of the toughest competitors to look out for at the major event. However, on the other hand, Danielle Collins reminisced about being pen pals with Madison Keys before their confrontation in Strasbourg.

Madison Keys and Danielle Collins share a long-standing friendship

Nearly 20 years ago, the two Americans lived on opposite ends of Florida, with Keys, an Illinois native, moving to Boca Raton to attend the Evert Tennis Academy at the age of ten, four hours southeast of Collins’ hometown of St. Petersburg. They grew close despite their distance from one another, and their bond continues to this day.

She said in an on-court interview, “Madison and I have known each other since we were 10. We used to be pen pals. We’d write little letters to each other. Our moms are both from Iowa, so they bonded over that at the junior tournaments. I’ve known Maddie a long time, and [she’s] a good friend. I’m excited to play her here and have some fun tomorrow.”

Since then, neither of them has lost a set, and if anyone among them wins, she will be the first American to win the title at the tournament since Jennifer Capriati in 1999.