Australian Open champion Madison Keys is eliminated in the Adelaide quarter-finals by Canada’s Victoria Mboko in an error-strewn performance.
AUSTRALIAN Open champion Madison Keys crashed out of her final warm-up tournament ahead of the season’s first Grand Slam.
The American was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 by Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the Adelaide International quarter-finals on Thursday.
Keys struck nearly 50 unforced errors in an erratic performance at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre.
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The 19-year-old Mboko withstood a second-set fightback from the former champion to secure victory in one hour and 52 minutes.
Keys won the Adelaide title 12 months ago en route to her maiden Grand Slam triumph in Melbourne.
After dropping the first set, she rallied from being a break down twice to force a deciding third set.
Mboko broke twice for a 4-1 lead in the final set and closed out the match.
“There were ups and downs in the match, I had to weather the storm,” Mboko said.
“She won here last year so I know coming in this would be a big fight. I’m glad I was able to get it done.”
The world number 17 added that it was “nice to play a former champion to see what I can do.”
Mboko will play Australian Kimberly Birrell in Friday’s semi-final.
Birrell came through a three-hour quarter-final, beating Romania’s Jacqueline Cristian 5-7, 6-1, 7-5.
Keys is scheduled to face Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova in the first round of the Australian Open, which begins on Sunday. – AFP
