Lys defeated Knutson 6-3, 6-3 at the US Open. The key was her serve: she held seven of eight service games, saved 10 of 12 break points and broke four times.
Knutson struck first in the opener, breaking in game one at 1-0, but Lys replied at 2-2 and then at 3-5 to take the set. The second set followed a similar pattern: Knutson led 2-0, but Lys hit back at 3-2 and 3-4 before closing it out with a break at 3-6.
The decisive number was Lys’s composure under pressure: she saved 83% of the break points she faced, while Knutson could only save 33% of hers. Knutson hit four aces to Lys’s one, but it was Lys who won 39 service points to 24 and steadied herself after every early setback.