Madison Keys couldn't have played any better than she did in the first set of her third-round 2026 US Open match against Zheng Qinwen. That is meant with no disrespect to Keys, mind you. Many players could play any better than she did against the hard-hitting Chinese player.
The American raced through the set 6-1, landing 71 percent of her first serves and winning 87 percent of those points. She didn't face a break point and only had three unforced errors. She was electric, but she needed to sustain that for at least one more set.
When she began to dip in form midway through set two, Zheng pounced, getting a break at 3-all on her third opportunity, and seemed to be setting up a third set. Keys was suddenly hitting three times as many unforced errors as winners, but she had already proved her ability to control the match. She simply needed to get back in form.
Zheng Qinwen shocks Madison Keys in the third round of the 2026 US Open
After being broken, Keys reverted to set one form and broke right back to get to 4-all. Her power couldn't afford another drop, though, as the difference between the two players is minimal. Zheng could just as easily sweep through the rest of the match and reach the fourth round at the US Open for the third time in her career. Twice, she has reached the quarterfinals.
Each player held more comfortably at getting broken, and the set ended in a tie-break. Zheng continued her far better form in the second set by pushing Keys off the court with regularity to take the tie-break easily, 7-3, and set up a final set.
The final set began brutally for Zheng, though. She was broken in the second game, and then again in the fourth game. After fighting back with aplomb, she was facing a Keys who was in first-set form. The double-break appeared to end any doubt as to the outcome of the match.
Zheng deserves credit for battling through in qualifying and then reaching the third round, and she wasn't necessarily playing poorly against Keys, even down 1-5. She seemed to have little hope of a comeback from two breaks down, however.
And yet, she wasn't completely beaten yet. Zheng held, and then got a break to get to 3-5.
All Keys needed to do was hold once, but then she was broken again, and soon, shockingly, the set was back to 5-all, until Keys was broken a third straight time. When Zheng held at 6-5 to take the third set and the match, it was a nearly unbelievable response and comeback.
After being down 0-5 in the final set, Zheng won the final seven games. She is obviously a threat to win the entire major.
Zheng Qinwen will next face the winner of the match between Iga Swiatek and Marie Bouzkova in the fourth round. Swiatek has won the US Open before and is playing in great form. She could find her way to another title in New York if she keeps playing as well as she currently is.
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