Madison Keys suffered a dreadful start to her hard-court season at the DC Open. Despite being the heavy favorite in her first-round clash against Liudmila Samsonova, she was eliminated following a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat. So, it wasn’t a surprise to see fans criticize Keys for her underwhelming performance.

Having entered the tournament as the sixth seed, Keys made a strong start to her opening match. She was clearly the better player in the first set and comfortably clinched it to take the lead. Samsonova was struggling with her serve and committed multiple double-faults.

Though a comeback wasn’t expected from her side, she still went on to deliver one of the most remarkable performances of her career. The Russian improved her serve in the second set and didn’t let Keys get another break. Samsonova then piled up pressure on her opponent’s serve, and that finally led to a breakthrough.

She clinched the all-important break and claimed the second set to take the match into a decider. But Samsonova was lousy with her serve once again and committed 14 double-faults during the match. This allowed Keys to take the advantage and take a commanding 4-2 lead in the set.

Though defeat appeared to be the only option for Samsonova, she somehow managed to elevate her game in the final stages of the match. She went on to win four consecutive games, breaking Keys’ serve twice to win the match after two hours and 24 minutes.

It won’t be wrong to say that Keys capitulated under the pressure. She had only allowed Samsonova to gain one break of serve until the decider, but then ended up losing her serve two consecutive times in the final four games.

Fans felt that Keys let the match slip away from her grasp and expressed their frustration with her performance on social media.

Madison Keys criticized after early exit at DC Open

A fan felt that Keys pretty much threw away the match in the third set. “Seriously looked like Madison Keys sold that match to me.”

Another fan pointed out that Keys’ forehand wasn’t up to the mark throughout the match. “It was obvious. Madison’s forehand was erring all night.”

There was also a fan who bashed Keys for the result and claimed that her career wouldn’t be able to recover from this defeat. “Another one from Keys, how many times has she done exactly this? 4-2 up in the third, pulling out 40-15 for 5-2, and the lights go out on her—I’ve seen it from Keys so many, many times. People hardly change, and with more than 31 years, it’s even harder; now she can only go downhill.”

A fan also highlighted how Keys has been on a downward spiral this year and claimed that it is time for her to hang up her racket. “Madison Keys had one of the worst collapses of the year, I think it’s time for her to retire.”

Finally, a fan also hailed Samsonova for her dramatic victory. “Didn’t think she was going to win with the litany of double faults, but well done.”

Keys will next be in action at the National Bank Open in Montreal. It remains to be seen whether she will be able to improve her form in the Masters event.