Madison Keys Upset at US Open by Renata Zarazúa
The Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, suffered an unexpected defeat in the first round of the US Open, falling to Mexican Renata Zarazúa with a score of 6-7 (10), 7-6 (3), 7-5. The American, seeded number six, accumulated 89 unforced errors, including 14 double faults, which facilitated Zarazúa’s victory, who needed only eight winning shots to secure the most important triumph of her career. Zarazúa, ranked 82nd in the world, had been eliminated in the first or second round in her eight previous appearances in Grand Slam tournaments. With this victory, she became the first Mexican player to defeat a top 10 seed in a major tournament since Angélica Gavaldón at the 1995 Australian Open.Keys, who was runner-up in New York in 2017 and a semi-finalist in 2018 and 2023, admitted that nerves affected her. “For the first time in a long time… my nerves really got the better of me, and it became a bit paralyzing. I felt like I was slow. I wasn’t seeing things the way I wanted to, which I think resulted in a lot of bad decisions and lazy footwork,” Keys commented.
Zarazúa, for her part, expressed her surprise and emotion at playing in the largest stadium in tennis, Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I’m a bit short, so when I entered here it was like: ‘Oh, my God. This is huge’,” said Zarazúa, who added that she simply enjoyed the moment. The match, which lasted 3 hours and 10 minutes, was memorable. Zarazúa managed to come back after losing the first set and being down 3-0 in the second. “Congratulations to her for making me play a lot of balls today. She is a clever player,” Keys acknowledged. Zarazúa, the only Mexican representative in the tournament, moved to San Antonio in her adolescence and currently resides in Florida. “In Mexico, it’s probably not the most famous sport,” commented Zarazúa, who started in tennis after practicing gymnastics and diving.
