(New York) The American Madison Keys, 17th in the world and finalist in 2017, qualified for the quarter-finals of the United States Open on Monday by dominating her compatriot Jessica Pegula (3rd) and will face the Czech Marketa Vondrousova (9th ) for a place in the last four.

Keys, who hadn’t made it past the Round of 16 at Flushing Meadows since his half in 2018, edged Pegula 6-1, 6-3 in 1:01.

“It’s always difficult to play against a friend, but we’ve done it our whole lives. When we get on the court, it’s all about work, but then we become friends again,” Keys said.

At 28, she remains in a quarter-final this season at Wimbledon. She reached the semis at the Australian Open in 2022.

For her part, Vondrousova, surprise winner of Wimbledon in July, but who had never gone beyond the eighth at the United States Open (reached in 2018) overthrew the American Peyton Stearns (59th) 6-7 (3/7 ), 6-3, 6-2.

“She is very powerful and it was a very difficult match,” commented Vondrousova, who did not expect to reach the quarterfinals in New York, because “after Wimbledon the pressure was immense”.

The 24-year-old Czech, finalist at Roland-Garros in 2019, but less comfortable on fast surfaces, created a surprise this summer by winning her first Grand Slam title on the grass of Wimbledon.

She has since added a tattoo on her already well decorated left arm: 07/15/23, the date of the final won on the London lawn.

For her part, Stearns had the best run of her short Grand Slam career at 22: beaten in the first round last year in New York for her first Major, she had since missed the Australian Open and then been beaten in the third round at Roland-Garros and in the first at Wimbledon.