Madison Keys cruises at French Open, while Emma Raducanu guts out emotional win despite illness in dramatic first-round battle.
It is in moments of triumph and trial that tennis reveals its truest poetry. On Monday, under the Parisian sun at Roland Garros, two women authored very different first-round stories—both filled with grit and grace. Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, played with calm conviction, breezing into the second round.
Hours later, Emma Raducanu fought off illness, exhaustion, and doubt in a match that tested every part of her resolve. Together, their paths converged on the red clay, not just as winners, but as reminders that every step forward in tennis comes earned—not given. And this tournament has only just begun.
Madison Keys, Composed and Climbing
Madison Keys did not flinch. Not under pressure, not under expectation, and certainly not under the weight of her own rising stature.
Fresh off her crowning Grand Slam moment in Melbourne, Keys entered the French Open as the No. 7 player in the world—and as a woman with something she’s never had before: momentum married to belief. She played like it. Against Daria Saville, Keys needed only two sets and 61 minutes to make her presence known, winning 6-2, 6-1 in commanding fashion.
Madison has the keys to the second round 🔑#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/WNwwPIvhPd
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2025
The shotmaking was clean. The movement sharp. And the mindset unmistakably seasoned.
At 30, Keys is playing some of the best tennis of her life. Once the promising teen phenom, now she’s the poised veteran in a field increasingly defined by youth. She knows what it means to nearly win it all—like she did in New York in 2017. But now, she knows even more about what it takes to finally finish the job.
Up next is Britain’s Katie Boulter, but Keys isn’t just playing opponents. She’s playing for a legacy that’s still being written—one where resilience has become her signature.
Emma Raducanu, Fighting on Every Front
Emma Raducanu stepped onto the court already behind. Not in score, but in strength. She wasn’t just playing against Wang Xinyu. She was playing against her own body, her breath, and a virus that refused to release its grip.
And somehow, for nearly three hours, she refused to let it define her.
After seeing the doctor courtside and having her blood pressure taken late in the first set, Raducanu could’ve wilted. She didn’t. She won the opener, lost the second after a contentious line call, and then returned from a brief break with steel in her spine.
😃😃😃
Job done for @EmmaRaducanu at @rolandgarros #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/53czMb1qiB
— LTA (@the_LTA) May 26, 2025
The third set was a war of attrition. But Raducanu, who’s faced more scrutiny than most 22-year-olds could fathom, held steady. She secured the 17th break of the match—and the final point—with a swing of weary relief.
Her racquet dropped softly to the clay, but her spirit had never fallen.
This was only her second career match at Roland Garros. It may not have been her cleanest or most elegant, but it might’ve been her most meaningful. The 2021 US Open champion reminded the world—and perhaps herself—that there is strength not just in talent, but in tenacity.
Two Journeys, One Stage
On opposite ends of the draw and under vastly different circumstances, Madison Keys and Emma Raducanu showed the two faces of early-round greatness.
For Keys, it was dominance—measured and efficient. For Raducanu, it was defiance—gritty and uncertain. Both emerged victorious, not just in score, but in statement.
The second round will bring new challenges. Keys will continue to shoulder the expectations of a champion, while Raducanu prepares for a formidable showdown with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The storylines couldn’t be more different—but the theme remains the same.
This is the French Open. Where the clay demands not just brilliance, but belief. And where every player, whether sailing or surviving, must earn every inch.
