Queens, NY—-Two of the United States’ leading hopes at the US Open saw their tournaments come to a surprising end Saturday, as Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova were both eliminated in the third round.
No. 22 seed Keys appeared to be on her way to victory against unseeded Zheng Qinwen after building a commanding 5-0 advantage in the deciding set. Instead, the American watched the match slip away, losing the final seven games as Zheng completed a remarkable comeback, 1-6, 7-6, 7-5.
Earlier in the day, No. 10 seed Anisimova also saw her tournament end abruptly, falling to No. 24 Anastasia Potapova, 6-2, 7-5.
Zheng Turns the Match Around Against Keys
Keys entered the third round determined to make a deeper run after her disappointing first-round exit at last year’s US Open. She had taken care of Russia’s Alina Korneeva and Hungary’s Anna Bondár to reach the Round of 32, but Zheng proved to be a much different challenge.
For much of the opening set, however, Keys looked completely in control.
The American raced through the first set in just 23 minutes, winning 6-1 while dominating behind her first serve. Zheng struggled to find her rhythm and contributed four double faults as Keys took advantage of nearly every opening.
The momentum began to change in the second set.
Zheng found more success attacking Keys’ serve, while Keys became less consistent from the baseline. Still, the American managed to fight her way back into the set as Zheng began giving away opportunities on serve.
Neither player was able to pull away, sending the set to a tiebreak. Zheng held her nerve and won it to force a deciding set.
Keys then appeared to have restored control.
She jumped out to a 5-0 lead and moved within reach of closing out the match. Zheng looked to be fighting simply to stay alive, but Keys suddenly lost her consistency at the worst possible moment.
Forehands began finding the net or sailing beyond the baseline, and Zheng seized the opportunity.
Game by game, the deficit disappeared. Zheng won seven straight games to complete one of the biggest comebacks of the tournament and send Keys home.
The victory marked Zheng’s second win over Keys this season. She also defeated the American at the Miami Open in April.
Zheng, who captured the women’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, missed last year’s US Open while recovering from elbow surgery. She will now move into the Round of 16.
Potapova Ends Anisimova’s Bid for Another Deep Run
Anisimova’s hopes of returning to the US Open final came to an end against Potapova.
The No. 10 seed had been one of the tournament’s most intriguing American contenders after reaching the final last year, where she defeated both Iga Świątek and Naomi Osaka before falling to Aryna Sabalenka.
This time, however, Anisimova never found the consistency needed to overcome Potapova.
The Russian-born player quickly put pressure on Anisimova’s serve and took advantage of mistakes from the American’s forehand. Anisimova struggled to generate opportunities throughout the opening set, failing to convert any of her first seven break-point chances.
Potapova capitalized and took the first set 6-2.
Anisimova fought back in the second, but the mistakes continued to mount. She finished the match with 46 unforced errors, making it difficult to sustain any momentum against an opponent who was able to capitalize on her inconsistencies.
Potapova closed out the match 6-2, 7-5 and advanced to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time in her career.
The victory improves on her second-round appearance from a year ago, when she lost to Mirra Andreeva. In 2024, Potapova reached the third round before falling to Karolína Muchová.
For Anisimova, meanwhile, the defeat brings an early conclusion to a tournament in which expectations were high after her breakthrough run to the final last year.
With both Anisimova and Keys eliminated, two of the highest-seeded American women remaining in New York are now out of the competition.
