Bluffante, Keys wins in Strasbourg

Madison Keys is finally enjoying clay. Hitherto ill at ease on ochre, the American is enjoying a top-class 2024 season on crushed bricks. This title, won with undeniable authority, is a fair reflection of her current level of tennis.

Indeed, after a disappointing first tournament (beaten from the start in Charleston), the current world No.16 has put together a string of fine results. Semi-finalist in Madrid, beaten only by Swiatek (6-1, 6-3), then quarter-finalist in Rome, again beaten by Swiatek (6-1, 6-3), this time the 29-year-old went all the way. Entered in Strasbourg this week, she played a perfect tournament, not dropping a single set, to lift a richly deserved trophy.

With back-to-back wins over Wang (7-5, 6-0), Linette (6-1, 6-3), Samsonova (6-1, 6-3) and, above all, Collins (6-1, 6-2), she will arrive at Porte d'Auteuil as a serious outsider.

Collins, for her part, can leave the tournament satisfied with herself. Although she was swept aside in the final, she once again played tennis of the highest level, and is increasingly asserting herself as one of the season's top performers.