Madison Keys saw her hopes of reaching the fourth round of the US Open for the first time since 2023 dashed after squandering a match point and collapsing in the deciding set against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. The 31-year-old American, who won the 2025 Australian Open, lost 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 in a defeat that left the home crowd stunned.
Keys described feeling paralyzed during the final set, admitting she became afraid to swing her racquet. “I felt like I couldn’t play tennis anymore,” Keys said. “It just felt like it was a much bigger deal than just playing a tennis match all of a sudden.”
The loss adds to a challenging year for Keys, who exited in the fourth round at three other majors in 2026 after falling to Sloane Stephens in the 2017 US Open final. Acknowledging ongoing struggles, she hinted at impending changes: “I’m going to have to make some sort of changes… It’s just to the point where I actually need to do something about it.”
Elsewhere, Amanda Anisimova was eliminated in straight sets by 24th-seed Anastasia Potapova. The 25-year-old, who reached last year’s final before losing to world number one Aryna Sabalenka, showed visible frustration, dropping her serve six times across two sets.
In contrast, two-time champion Naomi Osaka advanced to the last 16 after overcoming a break deficit in the third set to defeat Belgian 23rd seed Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Osaka, seeded 13th, will now face second seed Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina, who will secure the new world number one ranking if she reaches the semi-finals, demonstrated her class with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 victory over Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva.
Leave a Reply