Potapova and Zheng advance at US Open as Anisimova and Keys exit in third round
Anastasia Potapova eliminated 2025 finalist Amanda Anisimova in straight sets on Saturday, while Zheng Qinwen won seven consecutive games in the final set to defeat Madison Keys.
Potapova defeats last year's finalist Anisimova
Tenth seed Amanda Anisimova exited the US Open in the third round on Saturday following a 6-2, 7-5 defeat to Anastasia Potapova on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The 25-year-old American reached the final at Flushing Meadows in 2025, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka, but failed to replicate that run in New York. Potapova, who was born in Russia and began representing Austria in December, stayed steady across the 90-minute encounter. The victory earned Potapova her first appearance in the round of 16 at the US Open, matching her career-best result at a Grand Slam tournament.
I think I'm the happiest person out here - maybe my coach is a little bit happier.
Serving struggles and baseline errors
Anisimova struggled with accuracy in windy conditions on the second court, recording 46 unforced errors compared to 17 from Potapova. The American committed 18 errors on her forehand side and won half of the points on her first serve. Anisimova converted 3 of 16 break-point opportunities, while Potapova defended 13 break points and converted 6 of her 8 chances. After dropping the opening set in one-way fashion, Anisimova exchanged breaks three times in the second set before sending a shot past the baseline in the penultimate game.
- Amanda Anisimova
- 46
- Anastasia Potapova
- 17
Potapova advanced to face either Russian Mirra Andreeva or Czech player Nikola Bartunkova. Following the loss, Anisimova will drop outside the top 10 in the WTA rankings, having started the year at world number 3. The defeat follows third-round exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier in 2026, alongside an Australian Open quarterfinal appearance. Anisimova had adjusted her coaching setup earlier in the year, working with German coach Sebastian Saachs before reuniting with Dutch coach Henrik Vleeshouwers for the North American hard-court season.
- Anastasia Potapova
- 6
- Amanda Anisimova
- 3
Zheng rallies from 5-0 deficit to beat Keys
In another third-round match, 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen eliminated 22nd seed Madison Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5. Keys, the 2017 US Open runner-up, built a 5-0 lead in the deciding third set and held a match point while serving at 5-1. Zheng held serve, saved the match point, and proceeded to win seven consecutive games to complete the turnaround. Zheng, who entered the main draw through qualifying after elbow surgery lowered her ranking to world number 121, secured her progression after falling behind early in the match.
I'm just telling myself keep holding every single point, never give up, stay there and somehow little by little it just happened.
Fritz falls to Cerundolo in five sets
The men's singles draw also saw an early departure for a top American seed on Saturday. Tenth seed Taylor Fritz lost his third-round match against 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina with a scoreline that went the full distance. Fritz took a two-set lead and earned a break in the third set before Cerundolo recovered to level the contest. After 3 hours and 42 minutes of play, Cerundolo closed out the match to send the world number 10 out of the tournament.
