New York, Aug 26 (AP) From the outset at the U.S. Open, Madison Keys sensed that she wasn't striking the ball with her usual finesse or channeling the self-assuredness that had garnered her inaugural Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. After racking up 89 unforced errors, including 14 double-faults, the No. 6 seed Keys was ousted from the tournament in the first round, falling 6-7 (10), 7-6 (3), 7-5 to the 82nd-ranked Renata Zarazua of Mexico.
"For the first time in a while... my nerves really got the better of me, and it kind of became a little bit paralyzing," said Keys, who was the runner-up in New York to Sloane Stephens in 2017 and reached the semifinals in 2018 and 2023. "I felt like I was just slow. I wasn't seeing things the way that I wanted to, which I feel like resulted in a lot of bad decisions and lazy footwork." Her debut U.S. Open appearance as a major champion, following her victory over No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at Melbourne Park, concluded as swiftly as it began.
"You always kind of feel first-round jitters and, as the day is getting closer, feeling a little bit more and more nervous," Keys explained, having competed with her left thigh heavily taped. "But I feel like, for whatever reason, today I just couldn't separate myself from... feeling like winning matters just way too much." Keys' numerous errors against Zarazua's spin-heavy shots allowed the Mexican player to claim the most significant victory of her career with just eight winners. Zarazua had been knocked out in the first or second rounds of all eight of her previous Slam appearances.
Yet, it was Zarazua who adeptly handled her nerves, despite playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium—a venue she had only practiced in once—in front of an audience for the first time. The 5-foot-3 player entered with a 0-6 record against top 10 opponents.
"I'm a little bit small in height, so coming in here, it was like: Oh, my God. This is huge," Zarazua remarked about the world’s largest tennis arena, which seats nearly 24,000 spectators. The match concluded after 3 hours and 10 minutes with Keys’ missed forehand, prompting Zarazua to beam with joy, raise her racket in triumph, and cover her face with her hand.
The match was undoubtedly memorable, not least because it was hard-fought, lasting into the evening. Zarazua found herself trailing by a set, having wasted five chances to close the first set but steadily eroded a daunting deficit of 3-0 in the second set.
"Kudos to her for making me play a lot of balls today," Keys acknowledged. "I mean, she's a tricky player." While Keys was part of 25 American players in the women's singles draw, 27-year-old Zarazua was Mexico’s sole entrant. Having moved to San Antonio as a teen, she now resides in Florida.
"In Mexico, yeah, it's probably not the most famous sport," Zarazua noted about tennis, which she picked up after initially trying gymnastics and diving. Explaining her transition to tennis, she added, "I got into tennis just because my brother was playing, and he was like, I think this is a bit safer sport."
The U.S. Open on Monday also featured Brazilian teenager João Fonseca, who celebrated his 19th birthday with victory on his tournament debut, overcoming Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-3 in front of a boisterous Brazilian crowd. However, 18-year-old Canadian Vicky Mboko, seeded 22nd, was defeated by two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-2. Elsewhere, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, aged 35, played the final match of her career, losing 6-1, 6-0 to Diane Parry. 2022 U.S. Open semifinalist Caroline Garcia, 31, also exited the tournament, being ousted 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 by Kamilla Rakhimova. Frances Tiafoe secured a straight-set victory against Yoshihito Nishioka. At night, Venus Williams lost her first Grand Slam match in two years, and Carlos Alcaraz played Reilly Opelka later in the evening.
On Tuesday's agenda for the U.S. Open, a robust schedule features Grand Slam champions Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Jannik Sinner. Gauff will face Ajla Tomljanovic, who previously defeated Serena Williams in what was the last match of the 23-time major title winner's career. For Gauff, this will be her first match since hiring biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan to enhance her serve.
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