You won’t believe what just happened at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Madison Keys, the Australian Open champ and No. 6 seed, got knocked out in the first round of the 2025 US Open by Renata Zarazua from Mexico, who’s ranked 82nd in the world. Talk about an upset! The match was quite the marathon, lasting more than three hours, and it wrapped up with a score of 6-7(10), 7-6(3), 7-5, with Zarazua coming out on top. She managed to hold her ground as she faced a whopping 89 unforced errors from Keys to clinch the win.

Zarazua’s incredible win has made history, marking her as the first player from Mexico to take down a top-10 seed in a Women’s Singles Grand Slam event since Angelica Gavaldon pulled off a surprise against Jana Novotna back at the 1995 Australian Open. She made history by being the first Mexican woman to achieve this at the US Open in the Open Era.

The Mexican tennis star definitely felt the weight of the moment, admitting that she was pretty nervous before stepping onto the biggest stage in the sport. After the match, she opened up in a heartfelt and honest way courtside, as shared by The Tennis Letter on X. She said, “Coming into the match I was like almost crying because I was really nervous. The crowd made it so chill for me so I was loosening up. Thank you for staying. I know my game is a bit tricky. So sometimes people get a bit bored. Thank you for staying till the end.”

Zarazua’s win wasn’t just a personal achievement; it was a big deal for Mexican tennis as a whole. Being the only Mexican singles player in the main draw, she carries the hopes of a nation that doesn’t have a lot of representation in the sport. It was hard to believe the result; it just seemed so unlikely. Madison Keys, who was a finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2017, is always a tough competitor. She was leading the WTA Tour with 15 three-set victories and 10 comeback wins before this match.

After a tough 72-minute first set that went to a tiebreak, and jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead in the second, it looked like an easy win was on the horizon for the American. But  Zarazua’s game was something else. She started to chip away at Keys’ power game, causing mistake after mistake, and you could feel the momentum slowly swinging her way in what turned out to be an intense battle.

Also, the cheers from all the fans rooting for Zarazua in the stands really gave a lift, making the 5-foot-3 competitor feel more at home in the huge Arthur Ashe Stadium. However, her American opponent was equally hyped before coming to the Flushing Meadows.

Madison Keys was excited to be back on the hard court

After winning her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year, Madison Keys stepped into the 2025 US Open with a fresh perspective. At the US Open Media Day, she said, “I think when you win your first Slam, the pressure of winning the first one kind of goes away. It gives you a little bit more freedom when you’re playing. Because now you’re looking for the next one… but you already know that you can do it and that you have done it.”

That win took a load off her shoulders, especially after all the pressure she’d felt since she first made a name for herself in the tennis world. Furthermore, the #6 in the world added, “This is always my favorite time of the year. I have had some amazing moments here—and some pretty tragic ones—but it’s still always my favorite. I mean, being an American, obviously your home Slam makes it a lot easier to be your favorite. But I just love the energy. I love playing on Ashe… It’s the loudest, rowdiest crowd that you can play in front of. I think it’s really fun.”

Feeling pumped from her big win and the energy of the crowd, she was really looking forward to riding that wave into another strong performance at the US Open. But it seems like fate had other ideas for the American. Now, head to our US Open live blog for all the latest updates!