Indian Wells 2022 - Madison Keys was in blistering form as Harriet Dart's BNP Paribas Open run was ended in round four
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Updated 15/03/2022 at 23:56 GMT
Harriet Dart crashed out of Indian Wells following a 6-1 6-4 defeat to number 25 seed Madison Keys. The British number three had seen off Ana Konjuh, Elina Svitolina and Kaia Kanepi earlier in the tournament but found the American too hot to handle. Keys moves into the quarter finals for the first time while Dart will rise into the top 100 when the next WTA rankings are published.
Harriet Dart
Image credit: Getty Images
Harriet Dart’s Indian Wells run came to an abrupt end as Madison Keys swept into the quarter finals with a dominant display.
The 25-year-old Briton failed to hit the heights that had seen her take some big-name scalps earlier in the tournament as she went down 6-1 6-4.
Dart will console herself with the knowledge that her performance in the desert will see her break into the top 100 for the first time in her career. She will also leapfrog Heather Watson in the rankings to become the British number two behind Emma Raducanu.
Keys will now meet number three seed Iga Swiatek in the last eight and she was delighted to maintain focus throughout what proved to be a routine success.
"I definitely think having such a great game to break after having some chances earlier in the (final) set and not capitalising on them (was the key)," she said during her on-court interview.
"I was a bit nervous but being able to serve it out in a straight forward way was the good part.
"I’m just happy I've won some matches here. It's the most I’ve ever put together here and to be back in front of a crowd again, especially a home crowd, feels really good."
Dart had a break point in Keys’ first service game but could not convert and the American scrambled to safety from deuce. It proved highly significant as a pair of double faults contributed to the number 25 seed breaking the Brit in the very next game.
Keys had beaten Dart 6-3 7-6 in the Melbourne Summer Set 2 earlier in the year and the same pattern ensued in this encounter with the former US Open finalist’s forehand doing plenty of damage.
Keys was barely troubled as she broke to love for a 5-1 lead and then comfortably served out a one-sided opener in just 27 minutes.
Dart had shown plenty of spirit in victories over Kaia Kanepi, Ana Konjuh and perhaps most notably, Elina Svitolina en route to round four, and she desperately needed to find that resolve in Set 2.
A hold from deuce that involved saving another break point in the opening game suggested the British qualifier’s belief was still firmly intact and she frustrated her opponent with a repeat performance in Game 5.
Dart became more vocal and appeared to be growing into the contest as she went toe-to-toe with Keys at 4-4 but a sensational return game from the American saw her decisively break to love.
Keys remained focused to complete the job by serving it out on her second match point and reach the last eight in Indian Wells for the first time in her career.
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