A Painful Day for American Tennis
Saturday at the US Open turned bittersweet for the home crowd at Flushing Meadows. While Coco Gauff delivered the result American fans needed, grinding out a 6-3, 6-4 victory over world number 40 Cristina Bucsa to reach the fourth round, her compatriots Amanda Anisimova, Taylor Fritz, and Madison Keys all suffered stunning early exits on the same day.
Anisimova, seeded sixth heading into the tournament, was eliminated by Aleksandra Potapova in straight sets, a result that caught many observers off guard given her strong seeding. The loss brought a swift end to what had been high hopes for the 23-year-old, who had been considered a genuine contender for a deep run in New York.
Fritz Collapse Adds to the Misery
Fritz's exit was arguably the most dramatic of the day. The ninth seed had not dropped a single set all week and appeared completely in control after winning the opening two sets against Argentina's Federico Cerundolo. But Cerundolo, fresh from his surprise title run at Queen's Club earlier this summer, refused to fold. He battled back to complete a stunning 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 comeback victory, ending Fritz's hopes of going one better than his runner-up finish two years ago at the same event.
Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, acknowledged it was far from a perfect performance against Bucsa but praised her own mental resilience when a break down in the match. She will next face either Iva Jovic or Alexandra Eala for a place in the quarterfinals. TennisDraw users had Anisimova circled as a potential deep-run candidate, making her swift exit one of the week's biggest bracket-busting results.
