Unbeaten in Grand Slams in 2025, Madison Keys faces marathon woman Katie Boulter in Thursday's French Open second-round contest, bidding to extend her eight-match winning streak at the majors.
The American star secured a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 victory over Daria Saville to set up a round-two matchup with her British opponent, whose previous four contests have gone the distance.
Match preview
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Keys gave little away in her tournament-opening victory over Saville on Monday, conceding just three break points and losing serve once while taking advantage of five of the 10 engineered on the Australian player's deliveries for a straightforward success.
That opening win means no player has bettered the American at the majors since she lost to Elise Mertens in the third round of the US Open in August.
Since that defeat, the United States player has risen into the top 10 after claiming her maiden Slam in Australia and improving to 8-0 after Monday's first-round success.
Defeating her Australian opponent in Paris took the 30-year-old to 25 career wins at the event, and she enters Thursday's encounter seeking to improve her 25-12 record against Boulter.
Entering her first tussle with Boulter at an impressive 25-6 for the season, the American may be the favourite to advance to a third-round match for the eighth time, but the world No. 8 must not underestimate the British player, whose never-say-die attitude has been evident on the clay in recent weeks.
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The world No. 38 claimed a WTA 125 title at the Clarins Open in Paris in the lead-up to the second major of 2025, clinching three consecutive three-set wins over Elsa Jacquemot, Varvara Gracheva and Chloe Paquet in the title match.
Thus, it was no surprise when the Briton overcame a first-set tie-break loss against Carole Monnet before dropping two more games en route to a 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-1 triumph on Monday.
That victory marked the 28-year-old's first at the French Open, albeit in only her second appearance, and the recent victor on the Challenger Circuit aims to extend her winning streak at Keys's expense.
Having struggled to claim back-to-back wins since the United Cup at the season's start, the No. 38 player on the women's tour has benefitted from lowering her level to build momentum, thereby securing six straight victories.
Now at 12-7 for the year, the Brit seeks to secure a 13th victory in 2025 to snap her American opponent's winning run at the Grand Slams.
Tournament so far
Madison Keys:
First round: vs. Daria Saville 6-2 6-1
Katie Boulter:
First round: vs. Carole Monnet 6-7(4) 6-1 6-1
Head To Head
Keys and Boulter will meet for the first time on the women's tour, with the winner taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head.
The British player's underdog status is magnified given her poor record against elite players, with the 28-year-old winning just three of her last 18 contests.
Keys heads into Thursday's match with a 9-3 win-loss record against players ranked 31st to 100th in the world, losing only to Clara Tauson in Auckland, Anna Kalinskaya in Charleston and Peyton Stearns in Rome.
We say: Keys to win in two sets
While Keys has suffered two unexpected defeats to lower-ranked players on clay in the lead-up to the French Open, Boulter's seven-match losing streak against top-10 players is not expected to change on Thursday, as the American is anticipated to progress at the Briton's expense in straight sets.
