Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula will have some extra practice time ahead of the US Open.
Both were knocked out of the main draw on Wednesday in Cincinnati, as Keys fell to Elena Rybakina, 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2, while Pegula was defeated by Poland’s Magda Linette in third-round action.
World No.4 Pegula has lost four of six since Wimbledon, and will head to New York where she is defending runner-up points.
Keys was up a set on Rybakina, but struggled in the heat as the match transpired and was no match for the former Wimbledon champion in the third set. She had her blood pressure checked early in the third, and fought on to no avail.
In the midst of a career year that saw her win her maiden major title in January, sixth-ranked Keys has won five of seven on the North American hard courts, reaching the quarterfinals in Montreal, where she lost to Clara Tauson, and the round of 16 in Cincinnati.
Coco Gauff is the last American standing in Cincinnati – she will face Lucia Bronzetti in the round of 16 on Thursday.
