Even in a career year, a year that has seen her win her first career Grand Slam, Madison Keys couldn’t escape her nerves in her first-round defeat to unseeded Renata Zarazua in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
The sixth-seeded American, who won her first Grand Slam title earlier this year in Melbourne, fought off the Mexican World No. 82 admirably and resiliently for three painstaking sets before finally succumbing, 6-7 (10), 7-6 (3), 7-5, in a 3 hour and 10 minute marathon.
Speaking to reporters after the match, the 30-year-old said she felt fine in warm-ups, but it was pretty evident early in the first set that she wasn’t at her strongest.
“I was just, for the first time in a while, my nerves really got the better of me,” the former US Open finalist admitted. “And it kind of became a little bit paralyzing. 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.”
The sloppiness was evident, as Keys made 89 unforced errors against 46 winners.
“I think it was probably building a little bit,” Keys said when asked about the pressure of playing her first US Open as a major champion. “The reality is it usually builds a little bit. You always kind of feel first-round jitters, and as the day is getting closer, you feel a little bit more and more nervous.
“But I feel like, for whatever reason, today I just couldn’t separate myself from the … and it’s more than just saying, ‘I want to win.’ Just feeling like winning matters just way too much, and I just couldn’t quite separate myself from that. Then once you start playing badly, it just kind of all snowballs.”
It was a particularly stunning upset, and not just because of Zarazua’s far lower ranking. Prior to Monday’s win, she had never beaten a Top 10 player in six tries in her nine-year career. It was also only her ninth appearance in the main draw of a Slam, and she’s never advanced past the second round.
It’s equally surprising because of Keys’ success in tight matches this year. She currently leads the Hologic WTA Tour with 15 three-set victories and 10 comeback wins.
As for Zarazua, she too felt the nerves — who wouldn’t on Ashe, in the first round of a Slam? — but her recent experience at majors has helped her feel like she belongs, and made the moment feel more manageable. (Until 2024, she had never played in the singles main draw at all four majors in a season.)
“I was really nervous coming in,” Zarazua told reporters. “I think the few minutes right before you go on court, it’s probably the worst moments. But in a way, I feel like the experiences of playing in the other stadiums at the other Slams kind of helped me a lot today.
“Obviously I didn’t want the nerves to be what let me down in the match. I thought I was playing really well the past few days and practicing well, so I was like, I’ve just got to find a way to use that [to] my advantage. The fear, the nerves, all of that, [I] just tried to leave them on the side and just focus on my game and what I had to do.”
Next up for the feisty 5-foot-3 player is Diane Parry, who dropped just one game in a dominant effort over now-retired Petra Kvitova.