Striking 89 unforced errors, Madison Keys exits US Open in first round to Renata Zarazua

NEW YORK—Madison Keys became the first major casualty of the 2025 US Open, falling in the first round to Renata Zarazua, 6-7 (10), 7-6 (3), 7-5 on Monday.

"I'm just very happy," Zarazua said on court. "Coming into the match I think I was almost crying because I was really nervous but the crowd made it so chill for me so I was loosening up!"

She gave a wry salute to the pro-American crowd, adding, "I know my game is a bit tricky so sometimes people get a bit bored, so thank you for staying and cheering until the end!"

The reigning Australian Open champion, Keys was playing her home Grand Slam tournament for the first time as a major champion; in her 14th US Open appearance, she struggled to find her range and struck a whopping 89 unforced errors, ultimately bowing out after three hours and 10 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I feel like today I was just, for the first time in a while, where my nerves really got the better of me, and it kind of became a little bit paralyzing," Keys said in her post-match press conference.

"I've had a lot of success, have probably won the most matches I've ever won in a year, but then losing today...and I think it's more so, like, the way that I played today, it kind of sucks. But I think big picture, again, if you told me at the beginning of the year what I was signing up for, I would obviously say yes. So that's allegedly the beauty of the sport."

The top-ranked player from Mexico, Zarazua was 0-6 against Top 10 opponents coming into the match, and shook off losing five set points in the opening set to score the biggest win of her career.

"I think it's a country that we don't have that many tennis players, but I had some of the Mexican doubles players cheering for me," Zarazua said. "We just try to give our best but I could definitely hear some Mexican cheering, so that was very nice!"

Keys has played solid tennis in the months since her major breakthrough, reaching the BNP Paribas Open semifinals and the Roland Garros quarterfinals, but suffered a third-round loss at Wimbledon, where she had been one of the title favorites. She exited before the semifinals at both US Open swing tournaments at the Omnium Banque Nationale and the Cincinnati Open.

Opening play on Ashe on Day 2, Keys squandered a set and 3-0 advantage, losing the second set in a tiebreaker. Zarazua looked to have the match sewn up when she scored a break for 5-3 in the final set, but Keys pulled off one last comeback, leveling the decider at five games apiece.

The 27-year-old put the pressure back on Keys with a hold for 6-5 and found herself a point from the upset when Keys netted a forehand for her 88th unforced error of the match. A final miss from Keys put Zarazua over the finish line.

"I'm a little bit small in height so coming in here was like, 'Oh my God, this is huge!'" I was just trying to focus on the court," said Zarazua, who will face Diane Parry in the second round after the Frenchwoman handed Petra Kvitova the final loss of her career.