MELBOURNE, Australia — Angelique Kerber had already proved that she could handle the biggest moments in tennis. Madison Keys had not, and a one-sided women’s quarterfinal at the Australian Open on Wednesday did not resolve that disparity.
Kerber, who just turned 30, is back on a high in Melbourne: reading the flow of play beautifully, bending low and slapping straight-line winners off ill-considered shots from her opponents.
Even on a very good day for Keys, beating this version of Kerber would have been difficult. But on another tough day for Keys in the Grand Slam spotlight, this match quickly turned into a mismatch.