Keys, Sloane meet in US Open final

Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens will meet in the first all-American women’s final at the US Open in 15 years.

The pair, close friends, will make their Grand Slam final debuts on Arthur Ashe Stadium at 21:00 BST on Saturday.

Both players returned at Wimbledon after having surgery this year, 15th seed Keys on her wrist and unseeded Stephens on her foot.

Serena and Venus Williams were the last Americans to line up against each other in the US Open women’s final in 2002.

Serena is absent this year after giving birth to her first child, and Venus was beaten by Stephens in the semi-finals.

The winner will be the first woman from the United States outside of the Williams final to claim a major singles title since Jennifer Capriati at the 2002 Australian Open.

BBC Sports reports that neither of Saturday’s finalists were even playing at this year’s first Grand Slam in Australia as they were both injured.

“I was actually laughing and thinking, who would have thought in Australia that Sloane and I would be the finalists at the US Open?” said Keys.