Keys rallies past Bencic, advances to fourth career Charleston semifinal

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- That's four Charleston semifinals for Madison Keys! In a battle of past Lowcountry champions, Keys rallied to defeat 2022 champion Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a breezy, sunny day at Stadium Court.

Charleston: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Keys is into her first WTA Driven by Mercedes-Benz semifinal of the season, and improves to 4-2 against the Swiss. She returns to the semifinals in the Lowcountry for the first time since her title run in 2019, and will next face McCartney Kessler or Yuliia Stardubtseva. The win over Bencic is her first top 20 win of 2026.

"I feel like I kind of had some opportunities in the first set, but I'm really happy that I didn't get too down on myself and was able to kind of recover quickly, and overall I think I played pretty solid second and third set," Keys said to press.

Drop shots weren't a common occurrence Friday as both players tried to outhit one another. Thursday, Bencic had said she'd rather play Keys on clay court because the American's power, which certainly displayed Friday afternoon, but it would be Keys' bounce back in the final two sets that secured the win. Mostably, Keys had 41 winners to Bencic's 18. 

How the match played out:

Set 1: Bencic opened the match with a quick hold, and on Keys' first service game, the Swiss scored the early break. Keys attemped a drop shot to the right side, but seemed to misjudge Bencic's distance from where the ball would land, causing her to hit the ball awkwardly out.

Keys, using her well-known power forehand that Bencic couldn't reach, got the break back at love. She then hit on another forehand with the help of a net cord in the penultimate shot to level at 2-2.

Trading holds for the next five games, Bencic hit a strong return off Keys' second serve, and Keys could only muster a forehand into the net as the first set went to the Swiss, who only had five winners, but limited herself to just six unforced errors to Keys' 14 in the set.

Set 2: The American had a prime opportunity with triple break point, but three unforced errors squandered that and Bencic held. But Keys went on a tear, winning 12 of the next 14 points to take a 3-1 lead as the set started the frustrate Bencic. Though holding at 3-2, Bencic trailed 30-40, and her frustration amounted as she hit her racquet into the green clay.

Keys relied on 14 winners in the second set, limiting herself to just eight unforced errors, as the American forced a decider. 

"I think that, even with the score line being the way that it was, I even had a few more break point chances that I kind of set myself up for," Keys said. "I think even though you don't always convert those points, I think they just add even more pressure. I think it kind of also gives you a little bit of confidence going into your own serve just knowing that you're always in her service games as well.

Set 3: It only seemed inevitable that Bencic was going to take a toilet break in the changeover in between sets to regroup as at this point, it was essentially a new match at one set apiece.

But it would be Keys who would come in the clutch to start the third set. The Swiss had two break point chances in the opening game with Keys frustrated after she had missed an easy drop shot at the net. Still, the American held in the deuce, and following a break of her own, Keys had to save two more break points, capped off by her point of the match to take 3-0 lead.

Keys had success coming to the net at times. It wasn't frequent, but when she did, it occasionally worked. Leading ad-40, Keys came to the net, and read Bencic's backhand down-the-line attempt perfectly, and took advantage of the open space. Keys' lead blossomed into 4-0, and though Bencic got one of the breaks back, a cross court forehand winner by Keys on match point sealed the deal.