US Open Shocker: Madison Keys Exits in First Round
In a surprising turn of events at the US Open, Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, faced an unexpected exit in the first round after succumbing to Renata Zarazua from Mexico. The match, which ended with scores of 6-7 (10), 7-6 (3), 7-5, was marred by Keys’ staggering total of 89 unforced errors, a staggering number that included 14 double-faults. Zarazua, currently ranked 82nd in the world, managed to secure the victory with only eight winners—an impressive feat considering her history at Grand Slam tournaments, where she had previously been eliminated in the opening rounds on eight occasions.
Historic Victory for Zarazua
This victory is monumental for Zarazua, marking her as the first Mexican player to achieve a win against a top-10 seed in a Grand Slam event since Angélica Gavaldón defeated the third-seeded Jana Novotna in 1995. In stark contrast, this defeat for Keys brings to light a rare statistic: she is now the first American woman seeded in the top 10 to exit the Flushing Meadows tournament in the first round since Chanda Rubin’s early exit in 2003.
Other Notable Matches
In a landscape of women’s tennis filled with rising talent, several other matches during the first round also caught attention. Notably, two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova triumphed over the promising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, who had recently captured her first WTA title in Montreal. Krejcikova, unseeded for the first time since her 2021 French Open victory, showed her experience and skill despite her current ranking.
Meanwhile, Elise Mertens, seeded 19th, dominated her match against American Alyssa Ahn with a quick 6-1, 6-0 victory, and Liudmila Samsonova, the 17th seed, managed to edge out Yuan Yue in a hard-fought match that ended 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Notably, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova faced a disappointing conclusion to her career, suffering a 6-1, 6-0 defeat against France’s Diane Parry, marking her potential retirement from competitive play.
