Zheng Stuns Keys as Potapova Reaches US Open Last 16

Zheng Qinwen saved a match point and won the final seven games to defeat Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 and reach the US Open last 16, while Anastasia Potapova beat Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-5 in another upset at Flushing Meadows.

The results dealt a blow to American hopes on Saturday, with Keys and 2025 finalist Anisimova both eliminated. Ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz also exited after losing to Francisco Cerundolo, although fourth-seeded Coco Gauff moved into the fourth round with a straight-sets victory over Cristina Bucsa.

For Zheng, the victory was a remarkable recovery after a one-sided opening set and a difficult position late in the decider. The former world number four, now ranked 121st following a lengthy recovery from elbow surgery that forced her through qualifying, produced one of the day’s biggest turnarounds.

Zheng overturns 5-0 deficit against Keys

Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion and a US Open finalist in 2017, took the first set 6-1 and then held a major advantage in the third. After Zheng came through the second-set tiebreaker 7/3, Keys surged into a 5-0 lead in the deciding set.

Zheng appeared to be running out of energy, but she held firm when Keys had match point at 5-1. From there, Zheng kept the pressure on and reeled off seven consecutive games to complete a 7-5 final-set win. Keys’s frustration was visible as the match turned, with the American banging her head with her racquet after one lost point.

“I just told myself keep holding every single point, never give up, stay there. And somehow little by little it just happened,” Zheng said.

The win puts Zheng into a fourth-round meeting with six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, with a quarter-final place at stake. Swiatek also had to negotiate a close contest, saving three set points in the second set before beating Czech player Maria Bouzkova 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3).

Potapova joined Zheng in the last 16 after her 6-2, 7-5 win over Anisimova. The Austrian reached the US Open fourth round for the first time and will next meet fifth-seeded French Open champion Mirra Andreeva. Andreeva advanced with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) victory over Nikola Bartunkova.

On the men’s side, Belgium’s Alexander Blockx upset fifth-seeded French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3. Blockx won 11 straight games from 3-2 down in the second set and reached the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Blockx fired 17 aces past Cobolli and said: “I think this was one of my craziest experiences so far in my career.” He will face Cerundolo, who fought back from two sets down to defeat Fritz 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Gauff advances as fourth-round field takes shape

Gauff avoided the same fate as several fellow Americans, recovering from a 3-1 deficit in the first set to beat Spain’s Bucsa 6-3, 6-4. Gauff said Bucsa was a difficult opponent to find rhythm against, but was pleased with how she fought through the match despite not playing at her best.

Elsewhere, men’s top seed Alexander Zverev was scheduled to close the night session against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo. Zverev had already spent nine hours and 26 minutes on court across two five-set matches, but said he felt physically fine as he pursued a second Grand Slam title following his French Open success this year.

Zheng’s escape against Keys and Potapova’s first trip to the US Open fourth round ensured that Saturday’s action significantly reshaped the tournament’s last-16 lineup.