section_path: Career/2013: Top 50 debut, top 10 victory
section_name: 2013: Top 50 debut, top 10 victory
paragraph_text: 2013: Top 50 debut, top 10 victory
  
  Keys began the year ranked No. 149 in the world. Having made it to relatively few WTA main draws in previous years, Keys played only tour-level events in 2013. At the Sydney International, Keys reached the quarterfinals of a WTA event for the first time, defeating Lucie Šafářová and Zheng Jie, the two players who had beaten her in her first two majors. For the second straight year, Keys won the Australian Open Wildcard Playoff. At the Australian Open, she beat Casey Dellacqua and No. 30 Tamira Paszek to reach the third round, before bowing out to No. 5, Angelique Kerber. With this success, she entered the top 100 of the WTA rankings at No. 81 a month before turning 18.
  
  In the clay-court season, Keys reached another quarterfinal at the Charleston Open before losing to Venus Williams, one of her childhood idols, in their first-ever meeting. She next played at the Madrid Open and defeated world No. 6 Li Na, not long after nearly beating her in Sydney earlier in the year. This was Keys's first victory over a top 10 opponent. Keys concluded the clay-court season with a second-round appearance in her French Open debut. At Wimbledon, she used a second consecutive third-round appearance to break into the top 50.
  
  Keys had a relatively quiet stretch following Wimbledon. In October, she finished her season at the Japan Women's Open in Osaka, where she reached her first WTA Tour semifinal. She lost to the eventual champion Samantha Stosur. After a successful year on the tour, Keys finished the year ranked No. 37, an improvement of over 100 places from the start of the season.
  
  Keys began the year ranked No. 149 in the world. Having made it to relatively few WTA main draws in previous years, Keys played only tour-level events in 2013. At the Sydney International, Keys reached the quarterfinals of a WTA event for the first time, defeating Lucie Šafářová and Zheng Jie, the two players who had beaten her in her first two majors. For the second straight year, Keys won the Australian Open Wildcard Playoff. At the Australian Open, she beat Casey Dellacqua and No. 30 Tamira Paszek to reach the third round, before bowing out to No. 5, Angelique Kerber. With this success, she entered the top 100 of the WTA rankings at No. 81 a month before turning 18.
  
  In the clay-court season, Keys reached another quarterfinal at the Charleston Open before losing to Venus Williams, one of her childhood idols, in their first-ever meeting. She next played at the Madrid Open and defeated world No. 6 Li Na, not long after nearly beating her in Sydney earlier in the year. This was Keys's first victory over a top 10 opponent. Keys concluded the clay-court season with a second-round appearance in her French Open debut. At Wimbledon, she used a second consecutive third-round appearance to break into the top 50.
  
  Keys had a relatively quiet stretch following Wimbledon. In October, she finished her season at the Japan Women's Open in Osaka, where she reached her first WTA Tour semifinal. She lost to the eventual champion Samantha Stosur. After a successful year on the tour, Keys finished the year ranked No. 37, an improvement of over 100 places from the start of the season.