Zheng stuns Keys with spectacular rally
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NEW YORK (AP):
Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen kept her US Open run alive with a remarkable comeback, winning the final seven games to eliminate No. 22 seed Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 yesterday.
Amanda Anisimova, another former US Open runner-up, was also eliminated as the No. 10 seed fell to No. 24 Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 7-5.
Keys had survived a dramatic three-setter in the previous round, saving five match points in a match tiebreaker. Two days later, however, she suffered a collapse every bit as unexpected as that comeback.
The 2017 US Open runner-up recovered from losing the second-set tiebreaker and raced to a 5-0 lead in the deciding set. Zheng held serve, but Keys failed to convert a match point while serving at 5-1, opening the door for a dramatic turnaround.
Momentum shifted
As momentum shifted, Keys’ frustration became evident. At one stage, she repeatedly struck her racket against her head and ripped off her visor in disgust.
“I’m just telling myself keep holding every single point, never give up, stay there and somehow, little by little, it just happened,” Zheng said.
Zheng captured Olympic gold for China at the 2024 Games after reaching the Australian Open final earlier that year, and has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the world.
However, after undergoing elbow surgery, she slipped to No. 121 in the rankings and had to come through qualifying to earn a place in the main draw.
“The hard work pays off,” Zheng said.
Anisimova squandered several opportunities, converting just three of 16 break-point chances, a success rate of 19 per cent.
Potapova, a 25-year-old who was born in Russia but now represents Austria, converted six of eight break-point opportunities and matched her best Grand Slam performance by advancing to the fourth round.
Anisimova reached the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open in 2025, losing to Aryna Sabalenka at Flushing Meadows.
But, after making the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, the American has now exited in the third round of the year’s last three Grand Slam tournaments.