Sloane Stephens takes down Madison Keys in first-round tiebreaker at US Open

The first-round match Monday between Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys at the US Open had the makings of a final.

In a rematch of the 2017 US Open championship match, Stephens and Keys put on a show.

Stephens took the first set, 6-3, before Keys fought back to take the second, 6-1. In the third set, the two played all the way to a tiebreaker, which Stephens won 9-7 to advance to the second round of the Grand Slam in New York.

Closing it out on her third attempt 💪@SloaneStephens | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/1Pmyw5F98Q

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2021

Four years ago, Stephens defeated Keys in the final of the US Open to win her first major title. Over the years, the friends have developed one of tennis’ most entertaining rivalries on the court, with Stephens leading it 4-2 entering Monday’s match.

After splitting their two previous meetings in 2021, Keys entered the US Open with a better ranking (No. 42) than Stephens did (No. 66). Keys, 26, dominated Stephens, 28, in winners on Monday but was ultimately undone by 37 unforced errors to Stephens’ 25.

Forever my girl @Madison_Keys ❤️ https://t.co/nW6bi8pUya

— sloanestephens (@SloaneStephens) August 30, 2021

Stephens will face the winner of the first-round match between Magda Linette and Coco Gauff.