RIO DE JANEIRO _ Madison Keys went up against a brick wall Friday. Just like at Wrigley Field, the wall usually wins.
Germany's Angelique Kerber made a mere eight unforced errors in their semifinal match, while the powerful Keys committed 41 in losing 6-3, 7-5.
"That's the struggle that anyone who is an aggressive player has to deal with," Keys said. "I have gotten more comfortable with it, but it comes with time."
Keys, a 21-year-old native of Rock Island., Ill., can still leave Rio "on a high," as she put it. She will take on Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic with a bronze medal on the line.
Kerber advanced to the gold medal match against upstart Monica Puig, who will vie to win Puerto Rico's first gold medal in any Olympic sport. Puig is ranked 34th in the world; Kerber is second to Serena Williams.
Keys had a golden chance at 4-4 in the second set. She benefited from two net cords to take a 40-0 edge on Kerber's serve. But Keys squandered them, losing focus. She challenged an "out" call on a ball that missed by several inches and then attempted a drop shot that barely reached the net.
Keys lost eight straight points during that stretch and faced triple-match point on her serve. But then she rallied to draw even at 5-5, hitting several winners. Keys finished with 34 winners to Kerber's 10.
But with German fans screaming "Angie!" Kerber played a rock-solid final game and emerged with a victory.
"She always hits it really hard," Kerber said. "She pushed me to play some of my best tennis."
Keys, the No. 9 player in the world, took pride in holding off five match points.
"I can walk away proud tonight knowing I tried everything I could and fought as hard as I could," she said.
