Madison Keys, the sixth seed at the US Open, was sent crashing out of the tournament in the first round by a surprise 6-7 (10-12) 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 defeat to Renata Zarazua, ranked 82nd in the world. The American, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, struggled to contain her nerves, admitting that they "got the better of me for the first time in a while."
Keys, who reached the US Open final in 2017, had a dismal performance, making 89 unforced errors and hitting 14 double faults. She saved just four of the 10 break points she faced, ultimately succumbing to Zarazua's consistent play. The Mexican player secured her first victory against a top-10 player when Keys netted on match point, sparking wild celebrations among her support team.
"I feel like today, my nerves really got the better of me, and it kind of became a little bit paralysing," Keys said in her post-match interview. "You always kind of feel first-round jitters, and as the day is getting closer, you're feeling more and more nervous. I want to win, but [I was] just feeling like winning matters way too much. I just couldn't quite separate myself from that."
Zarazua's victory was a significant upset, but she was not the only player to cause a stir on the day. Earlier, 18-year-old Victoria Mboko, who had been enjoying a fairytale 2025, lost 6-3 6-2 to 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova. Meanwhile, ninth seed Elena Rybakina eased through to the next round with a 6-3 6-0 win over 16-year-old Grand Slam debutant Julieta Pareja.
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