Sara Bejlek ousts Madison Keys, reaches Cincinnati Open semis

Sara Bejlek of Czechia celebrates while playing Madison Keys of the United States during the quarterfinals on day eleven of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 21, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP 

CINCINNATI–Unseeded Czech Sara Bejlek advanced to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open, backing up her stunning victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka with a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) quarter-final win over Madison Keys.

Bejlek, 20, faces fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff next.

Bejlek got off to a slow start against big-hitting Keys, a former Australian open champion and the 2019 winner in Cincinnati.

Bejlek trailed 0-3 on the way to dropping the first set but rode a wave of momentum shifts into the final four.

The Czech broke first in the third set only for Keys to battle back and force the tiebreaker, in which Bejlek rallied from 4-2 down on the way to a victory capped by a stinging winner down the line on match point.

“I just kept believing in the match no matter what,” said Bejlek, who won her first WTA title in Abu Dhabi in February as a qualifier.

“I believed much more than ever, it was always in my head.”

After a solid first set the 24th-ranked Keys broke in the third game of the second, but Bejlek, ranked 35th, broke back in the sixth and held for a 4-3 lead.

Keys answered with a love game, but Bejlek turned the tables two games later to force the third.