Madison Keys produced a dominant display as she beat Daria Kasatkina in straight sets to win the Eastbourne International for a second time.<\/span><\/p>\n The American, 28, triumphed 6-2 7-6 (15-13) as she lifted her seventh WTA title in one hour and 42 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Keys breezed through the first set and, although she missed championship points in a second set tie-break, she eventually closed out the contest.<\/span><\/p>\n It was Keys’ first WTA title success since the Adelaide 250 in January 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n Keys was quickly out of the blocks as she backed up a confident opening service game with an emphatic break to love.<\/span><\/p>\n World number 11 Kasatkina, ranked 14 places above Keys, was risk averse for the remainder of the set and the Russian had no answer to Keys’ powerful ground strokes.<\/span><\/p>\n Keys took a 4-1 lead in the second after an early break but Kasatkina sparked into life and even missed a chance to serve for the set at 6-5 before it went to a thrilling tie-break.<\/span><\/p>\n Keys squandered three championship points on serve during the topsy-turvy tie-break, while Kasatkina missed a chance of her own to square the match.<\/span><\/p>\n At the fourth opportunity Keys settled the contest, as she won a marathon rally with a powerful cross-court forehand.<\/span><\/p>\n “To win here again gives me really good memories of Eastbourne, it feels like home,” Keys said.<\/span><\/p>\n “It was a really stressful tie-breaker and sorry to Daria about all the lets – I kept hitting the top of the net today!”<\/span><\/p>\n Keys beat Angelique Kerber in three sets as a 19-year-old to win the 2014 tournament at Eastbourne – her first WTA title.<\/span><\/p>\n Nine years later, Keys delivered a commanding all-round performance as she showed her maturity, and the ability to raise her game, to see off Kasatkina’s spirited fightback.<\/span><\/p>\n Nobody has won Eastbourne and Wimbledon in the same year since Jana Novotna in 1998.<\/span><\/p>\n Based on this impressive display – Keys did not drop a set at Eastbourne – she will be among the players to watch at the All England Club, having never gone further than the quarter-finals previously.<\/span><\/p>\n “If you told me two weeks ago this where I would be, I wouldn’t have believed you,” added Keys, who has never won a Grand Slam but reached the final of the US Open in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n “After a tough year, being able to hold this trophy is absolutely amazing.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo beat Tommy Paul of the United States in three sets to win the <\/span>men’s singles<\/strong> title at Eastbourne.<\/span><\/p>\n Cerundolo, who is 19th in the world rankings, quickly secured the one game he needed to complete victory in his rain-affected semi-final against Mackenzie McDonald, before beating Paul 6-4 1-6 6-4 in the final.<\/span><\/p>\nHistory repeats for Keys<\/h3>\n
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