ASB Classic top seed Madison Keys powered her way into the quarter-finals with a dominant win today.
Her 6-1 6-2 victory over Romanian Jacqueline Cristian was by far the most one-sided match of the tournament so far, and that's more of a comment on the American world number 20 than her opponent.
Keys started fast, sending down a series of forehand winners to break Cristian in the fourth game. She then ran away with the first set, an effort she repeated in the second and then sealed the win with a thundering ace.
"I think I played pretty well today," was Keys' understated assessment after the match.
"Honestly, I think I served well and returned well, and that got me ahead in a lot of the points. Not a whole lot of things to be upset about today. It definitely felt a bit more settled today."
The only reason the match wasn't over sooner was the ever present rain threat, that caused two delays and looks likely to disrupt proceedings over the next couple of days. In the day's other match, Robin Montgomery completed a very similar demolition job of Japanese qualifier Nao Hibino, winning 6-2 6-2.
Overall, this was a pretty underwhelming day for the ASB Classic women's. The only other notable event was the new automated line umpiring system somehow getting a couple of calls wrong.
One was at a crucial stage of the doubles match between Sloane Stephens and Clara Tauson, and Rebecca Marino and Tara Moore. The confusion led to a lengthy standoff between Stephens and Tauson and the umpire, with it finally being resolved with the admission that the screen had displayed the wrong graphic.
The error in Keys' match was not as dramatic, with the tournament top seed simply saying "I really don't know" when asked about it. However, it can't have been that bad, with Keys emphatically stating she does not miss human linespeople and will "take the occasional mistake" with the technology.
Madison Keys (USA) ahead of the 2024-25 Women’s ASB Classic WTA250 tennis tournament. Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
Keys was the only really notable player on court in the singles today, and while the ASB Classic had Emma Raducanu and Elise Mertens pull out with injury, it does raise a question mark over what the quality of the women's fields will be going forward.
Reigning champ Coco Gauff has opted to play in the United Cup in Perth, but that's not the only tournament now clashing with the ASB Classic.
The Brisbane International tournament is happening for the first time since the pandemic and, as a WTA 500 event comprising of 48 players, has soaked up a lot of the top talent including world number one Aryna Sabalenka. Since the Classic is a 250 and will likely stay that way unless some major redevelopments are done at the Auckland Tennis Centre, it'll be down to the negotiating skills of the tournament organisers to make sure headline acts are still making the trip here before the Australian Open.
