Coco Gauff reaches US Open fourth round as Keys and Anisimova exit

Coco Gauff has reached the fourth round of the US Open for the fifth consecutive year, securing her place in the second week while several of her compatriots suffered sudden exits. The 22-year-old, who won the title in 2023, overcame Spain's Cristina Bucsa 6-3 6-4 on Saturday to maintain her bid for a second triumph in New York. Gauff described a shift in her psychological approach, noting that she is now enjoying the experience rather than succumbing to the pressure that hampered her in previous editions.

"I feel like I'm used to getting to the second week now. I woke up today and I was like 'oh we're already in round three',"

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Coco Gauff, via BBC

This composure stood in sharp contrast to the psychological volatility of other home hopes. While Gauff navigated her match, Madison Keys suffered a collapse from a 5-0 lead in the third set, and Taylor Fritz surrendered a two-set advantage. For Keys, the loss was a psychological break; she admitted to feeling scared and unable to swing [the racquet], stating that the event suddenly felt like it was a much bigger deal than just playing a tennis match all of a sudden (BBC).

Tactical Adaptation and the 'Second Week' Mindset

Gauff's victory over world No. 40 Cristina Bucsa was characterized by tactical adjustment. Gauff struggled early, observing that playing in the day session differed from the night. After falling to a 3-1 deficit in the first set, she shifted her approach, telling herself she needed to accelerate through my shots (Sky Sports).

Gauff noted that last year she put too much pressure on herself, particularly in the fourth round where her challenge ended in the previous two editions. Now, the 2025 French Open winner views home-crowd expectations as something to be embraced. According to the BBC, Gauff heads into the fourth round as the form player in the women's game, having secured her eighth straight-set WTA Tour-level win in a row.

Regarding her ability to adapt during matches, Gauff told The Guardian that she plays offensively when she feels good, but shifts to a defensive style when she is not playing the ball well. She described her first set against Bucsa as defensive, noting that she had to sacrifice some points to get going again before finding her rhythm.

The Anatomy of the American Collapse

While Gauff stabilized, Madison Keys and Taylor Fritz experienced what The Guardian termed head-scratching defeats. Keys, the 2025 Australian Open winner, dominated the first set 6-1 in 23 minutes. After battling back in the second, she entered the third set with total momentum, racing to a 5-0 lead against Zheng Qinwen.

The reversal was sudden. Keys missed a match point and subsequently lost seven straight games. In a post-match press conference, Keys admitted that tennis just feels really hard right now and that she had been struggling for a while, though she had been able to play through it for a time (BBC).

Taylor Fritz faced a similar reversal. The ninth seed held a two-set lead over Federico Cerundolo and had not dropped a set all week. Cerundolo, who won the Queen's Club title earlier this summer, capitalized on Fritz's inconsistency. In the final set, Fritz fell 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4.

Anisimova's Technical and Professional Decline

The exit of Amanda Anisimova represents a steep trajectory of decline. After reaching the 2025 US Open final—where she was beaten by world number one Aryna Sabalenka—and starting 2026 as world No. 3, the 25-year-old has struggled to maintain her elite status. Her loss to Anastasia Potapova was characterized by a lack of control on her forehand.

Anisimova was visibly frustrated throughout the contest, losing her serve twice in the first set and four times in the second. According to Yahoo Sports, 46 unforced errors were too many to overcome. This defeat continues a difficult year; in 2026 Grand Slams, she was defeated by Diane Parry at the French Open and fell to Madison Keys in the third round of Wimbledon. Earlier in the year, she lost to Jessica Pegula in the Australian Open quarterfinals, as well as to Victoria Mboko at Indian Wells and Elina Svitolina at the Canadian Open.

Remaining American Hopes and Global Shuffles

Despite the high-profile exits, the American presence remains significant. Five women have reached the last 16: Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Taylor Townsend, Emma Navarro, and the 14th seed Iva Jovic. Jovic's progression came after a three-hour and three-minute battle against Alexandra Eala, ending 7-5 3-6 7-5.

On the men's side, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Alex Michelsen have advanced. Paul faces Carlos Alcaraz in a match that Sky Sports describes as the first genuine test of the defending champion's credentials following his return from injury.

The exodus of high-seeded Americans has cleared a path for international contenders. In the women's draw, 24th seed Anastasia Potapova now advances to face French Open champion Mirra Andreeva. Meanwhile, the men's side sees the emergence of Belgium's Alexander Blockx. The 21-year-old, who had never played at a major before this year, defeated fifth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-0 6-3 to set up a match against Federico Cerundolo.

Other veterans also advanced, including Naomi Osaka, who defeated Elise Mertens 6-3 3-6 7-5 to set up a match against second seed Elena Rybakina. According to the BBC, Rybakina will be guaranteed to become the new world number one if she reaches the semi-finals.

As Gauff moves forward to face fellow American Iva Jovic, the focus for Madison Keys shifts to professional restructuring. Having reached only one major quarter-final since her 2025 Australian Open victory, Keys admitted she has been struggling for a long period and concluded that she must now make some sort of changes to her approach (BBC).