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Confident Madison Keys leads American women

Playing in her first Grand Slam match since the 2016 U.S. Open after having wrist surgery, Madison Keys looked strong in her opening match at Roland Garros.
Jon Wertheim|
Confident Madison Keys leads American women
Confident Madison Keys leads American women

Putting aside the dismal results from the American men, let’s highlight the bright spots on the side of the women, who went 8-8. Playing her first Grand Slam match since the U.S. Open nine months ago, No. 12-seed Mad ison Keys looked thoroughly comfortable, swinging freely and beating Ash Barty in straight sets. She talked about the win and her confidence barometer with us after the match:

Also, Tuesday’s chapeau tip goes to 21-year-old Taylor Townsend who advanced with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Japan’s Miyu Kato. As a junior, Townsend won three of the four majors, missing out on the French Open. As a pro, she has now won four main draw matches here.

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Jon Wertheim
JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.

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