Keys saves five match points, Osaka reaches 80 Grand Slam wins, Swiatek and Anisimova advance

Madison Keys was 2-5 down in the deciding set and faced five match points, and she is still in the US Open. The American No. 22 seed beat Hungarian Anna Bondar 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Thursday evening in the hardest of four wins for seeded players, none of whom went out but three of whom were taken to three sets.

It was the 35th win of Keys’s career at this tournament. Among active American players, only Serena Williams, with 108, and Venus Williams, with 79, have more.

Osaka joins Ai Sugiyama in the Japanese record books

Naomi Osaka has not produced her best tennis this fortnight and has won both her matches. The two-time champion beat Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, having held a point for 5-2 in the second set, two days after coming through 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3) against Anastasia Zakharova.

The win is her 80th in Grand Slam main draws, making her the second Japanese woman in the Open Era to reach that figure after Ai Sugiyama, who finished on 84. It is also her 30th at this tournament, more than she has won at any other major. She has reached the third round or better at every Grand Slam this season.

Asked on court what this stadium does for her, Osaka answered simply. “I think the energy. You guys are very lively,” she said. “I’ve also had the experience of growing up here and playing on this court many times. Whenever I step out here it’s just really fun.” She had opened by calling it an honour to be scheduled there twice running: “I just wanna keep playing in front of you guys if possible. Just try to fight as best as I can.”

Anisimova completes a set she had never completed

Amanda Anisimova, last year’s runner-up, has now reached the third round at all four Grand Slams in a single season for the first time in her career, beating Austrian Lilli Tagger 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

The middle set belonged to the 18-year-old. Tagger, ranked No. 49, won the Prague WTA 250 in July and had beaten German Tamara Korpatsch 6-0, 7-6 (4) to get here. It was her first career meeting with a top-10 player, and Anisimova’s first against an opponent born after 2008.

The American, whose career-high No. 3 came in January, has reached at least the third round at each of her last six majors and beat compatriot Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-3 in the first round on her birthday. She plays Anastasia Potapova, the No. 24 seed.

Swiatek makes it 27 in a row

The one straightforward win of the evening belonged to Iga Swiatek, who beat Argentine Nadia Podoroska 6-3, 6-2 for her 35th win of the season and her 12th in her last 13 hard-court matches.

It was also her 27th consecutive Grand Slam appearance ending in the third round or better. In the Open Era only Martina Navratilova, with runs of 35 and 30, and Conchita Martinez, with 30, have gone longer. Swiatek is 27-2 in Grand Slam second rounds in her career.

The 2022 champion here has reached the quarter-finals in each of the last two years, losing both times to the eventual runner-up, Jessica Pegula in 2024 and Anisimova in 2025. She won her first title of this season at the Toronto WTA 1000 last month, beating Elena Rybakina in the final.

US Open 2026, women’s second round

A. Sabalenka [1] d. P. Iatcenko: 6-1, 6-1
K. Rakhimova d. O. Selekhmeteva: 6-3, 6-0
T. Townsend d. T. Preston (W): 6-1, 6-1
D. Shnaider [15] d. K. Pliskova: 6-1, 7-6(4)
M. Kostyuk [11] d. S. Stephens (W): 6-1, 7-5
E. Alexandrova [18] d. K. Birrell: 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
A. Li [29] d. D. Vekic: 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-4
L. Noskova [6] d. L. Tararudee: 6-4, 6-2
J. Pegula [3] d. S. Kenin (W): 6-3, 6-1
L. Fernandez [31] d. M. Sawangkaew: 6-4, 6-1
J. Paolini [19] d. L. Stefanini (Q): 6-4, 6-1
S. Cirstea [16] d. D. Parry: 6-2, 7-5
E. Svitolina [9] d. M. Joint: 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4
A. Kalinskaya [21] d. X. Wang: 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
E. Navarro [26] d. C. McNally: 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
K. Muchova [7] d. K. Boulter: 6-1, 6-0
A. Potapova [24] d. L. Jeanjean (W): 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
A. Anisimova [10] d. L. Tagger: 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
M. Andreeva [5] vs E. Lys – not played
N. Bartunkova vs T. Maria – not played
I. Jovic [14] vs F. Jones (Q) – not played
O. Oliynykova vs A. Eala [17] – not played
C. Bucsa vs H. Sakatsume (Q) – not played
P. Badosa vs C. Gauff [4] – not played
I. Swiatek [8] d. N. Podoroska: 6-3, 6-2
M. Bouzkova [25] d. H. Dart (Q): 6-2, 6-2
M. Keys [22] d. A. Bondar: 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5)
Q. Zheng (Q) vs Y. Putintseva – not played
N. Osaka [13] d. K. Siniakova: 6-2, 5-7, 6-1
E. Mertens [23] d. M. Timofeeva: 6-2, 7-6(5)
M. Sakkari [32] vs Y. Starodubtseva – not played
J. Bouzas Maneiro vs E. Rybakina [2] – not played