Gauff advances at US Open as fellow Americans Keys and Anisimova fall in fourth round

Coco Gauff, 22, continued her strong run at her home Grand Slam, reaching the fourth round of the US Open for the fifth year in a row. Gauff, who in 2021 became the first American teenager since Serena Williams in 1999 to win the tournament, currently enters this stage of the competition as the form player in the women's draw.

Her win over Bucsa marked her eighth consecutive straight-set victory on the WTA Tour. Gauff had exited the US Open at the fourth-round stage in each of the previous two years and admitted she had struggled with pressure last year. This time, after recovering from a 1-3 deficit in the first set and quickly bouncing back after being broken to love in the second, she showed greater composure under pressure.

Gauff said she now feels accustomed to reaching the second week and is focused on enjoying the experience rather than putting excessive pressure on herself, as she did in the past.

Keys and Anisimova knocked out

Madison Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion, looked set for her first fourth-round finish at her home major since 2023 after building a strong lead in the third set against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. However, she failed to convert a match point and then lost seven straight games, falling 1-6, 7-6, 7-5.

The 31-year-old Keys said she felt unable to play tennis during the deciding set and indicated she plans to make changes to her approach going forward. She has now exited in the fourth round at all three other Grand Slams in 2026.

Meanwhile, Amanda Anisimova, last year's US Open runner-up, lost in straight sets to Austria's 24th seed Anastasia Potapova, who was born in Russia. The 25-year-old Anisimova struggled with her serve throughout, losing it twice in the first set and four times in an uneven second set.