Madison Keys advanced at the 2026 US Open with a 7-5, 6-4 first-round win over Alina Korneeva on Monday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 94-minute match tested the US star early, though, as the 19-year-old Russian clawed back from a 3-0 deficit in the opening set.
Alina Korneeva Gives Madison Keys a 1st-Round Scare
Korneeva, a product of Rafael Nadal's academy, arrived in New York riding upsets over Emma Navarro and Iva Jovic at the Canadian Open. That confidence carried onto the court. She broke back twice in the first set and fought off a match point while trailing 5-3 in the second before Keys could seal it.
The 2025 Australian Open champion steadied herself by leaning on her serve. After landing just 48% of first serves in the opener, Keys pushed that number closer to 70% in the second set. She also converted all three of her break-point chances to pull clear.
"It's so hard to play the first round of a Grand Slam," Keys said. "So nervous and wanting to do well. So grateful I was able to fight through that."
The result is a welcome reversal after last year's first-round exit at Flushing Meadows. Keys next faces either Lucie Havlickova or Anna Bondar in the second round.
Elina Svitolina is out of the 2026 Cincinnati Open after failing to shake a right ankle issue that has trailed her since Toronto.
The world No. 9 was due on the court Tuesday against Wang Xiyu in Cincinnati's third round, but withdrew before the match. As a result, Wang advances on a walkover into the Round of 16, where US favorite Madison Keys now awaits.
Elina Svitolina Withdraws From Cincinnati After 2nd-Round Win
The injury first flared during Svitolina's semifinal run at the Canadian Open, which ended with a loss to the tournament's eventual champion Iga Świątek. Then it worsened in Cincinnati's second-round showdown with Tereza Valentová — a survival act in which the Ukrainian took a medical timeout, fought off seven match points, and closed the decider 6-0.
But the quick turnaround for her third-round match left little time for recovery.
"Unfortunately I tried my best to recover, but the injury I sustained in Toronto and also pushed by the second round match, I didn't recover as I wish I could," she said. "I’ve been advised by the doctors to take a little bit of time to rest and recover completely. [I'm] very sad to pull out this round."
Wang Xiyu Meets Madison Keys in Round of 16
For Wang, the walkover extends a breakthrough week. The 24-year-old has reached just her second WTA 1000 Round of 16, after her 2023 Rome campaign.
Standing between her and the quarterfinals is Keys, the No. 20 seed, who earlier dismissed Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-3. Svitolina, meanwhile, turns her attention to healing ahead of an expected US Open run.
Madison Keys saw her 2026 Mubadala DC Open run end early on Monday, as Liudmila Samsonova rallied from a set down to stun the No. 6 seed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in Washington, DC.
Keys controlled the opener. After falling behind 3-2, she rattled off four consecutive games to pocket the first set. However, Samsonova subsequently steadied.
Liudmila Samsonova Launches 3rd-Set Comeback to Oust Madison Keys
The 27-year-old found her range in the second set and pushed the match to a decider. Still, Keys appeared in control, racing to a 4-2 lead in the third without dropping a point on serve.
Then consecutive double faults opened the door.
Samsonova clawed back on her fourth break chance of that game to pull within 4-3. From there, she seized the momentum.
The 2022 champion broke once more and sealed the win in two hours and 24 minutes. It was just her second three-set victory in 12 attempts this season. It also ended a five-match skid against Keys dating back to 2021.
"I didn't expect to be here today, honestly," Samsonova said after her win. "I was just trying to be positive and (fight) until the end."
Samsonova now advances to face the winner of Wang Xinyu and Julieta Pareja.
Madison Keys made quick work of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round of the 2026 Lexus Eastbourne Open on Wednesday. The world No. 27 needed just 53 minutes to close out the 6-0, 6-1 win on the English grass-court.
Madison Keys Quickly Overpowers Eastbourne Open Opponant
Madison Keys controlled play from the baseline throughout, pairing deep groundstrokes with sharp placement that left the 48th-ranked Spaniard scrambling. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro had entered with momentum after wins over Katie Volynets and Himeno Sakatsume, but she had no answer for Keys's shot strength.
The result continues an impressive grass-court stretch for Keys.
She opened her season on the surface in Berlin last week, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula. Now in her sixth appearance at Devonshire Park, the 2025 Australian Open winner is chasing a third Eastbourne title after victories in 2014 and 2023. Her 54-20 career record on grass backs up that ambition.
Beyond the surface, Keys has stayed consistent across the 2026 WTA season, reaching a clay-court final in May alongside multiple hard-court quarterfinals earlier in the year.
By finishing this match so quickly, she saved energy for the later rounds as she pursues another WTA trophy and sharpens her grass-court game ahead of next week's 2026 Wimbledon Grand Slam.
Madison Keys made headlines after withdrawing from the 2026 Madrid Open due to illness. She exited just before her opening match on Friday.
Keys was scheduled to begin her campaign in the second round against Zhang Shuai. However, she was replaced by Anastasia Potapova. The lucky loser went on to defeat Shuai 6-3, 6-1.
"It was actually unexpected because I've been waiting for three days before and nothing happened," Potapova of her win. "I didn't really prepare myself to play a match."
The withdrawal marks a setback for world No. 17 Keys at an important point in the clay season. The Madrid Open stands as one of the WTA Tour's key tune-up tournaments ahead of the 2026 French Open.
Keys is coming off a steady stretch that reinforces her place among the tennis world's top contenders. Her withdrawal subsequently adds to a growing list of absences impacting this year's Madrid draw. Amanda Anisimova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Clara Tauson also pulled out.
While the illness was not described as long term, the timing shifts attention toward whether Keys can reset in time for the next major clay event — including next week's 2026 Italian Open.
For now, Madison Keys leaves the Madrid Open without hitting a ball in the main draw, postponing her 2026 red-clay debut.
Now, the focus shifts to recovery — and whether Keys can return in time to regain momentum heading into the heart of clay season.
World No. 18 Madison Keys moved into the third round of the 2026 Charleston Open on Wednesday, cruising past Donna Vekić 6-2, 6-3 in straight sets.
The 2019 tournament champion needed just one hour and 15 minutes to close out the match. She controlled play early, never giving up momentum.
Keys said her fast start made all the difference.
"Pretty happy overall, I think," Keys said postgame. "Getting off to a really good start with a couple of breaks, and I think I served really well."
And, she added, there was little to review after the performance.
"Overall, not a whole lot of things to be upset about today," Keys said.
The US tennis star entered the tournament as one of several big-name contenders in a deep field. That included top seed Jessica Pegula, who advanced with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win over Yulia Putintseva. 2022 champion Belinda Bencic is also through, after pulling off a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 victory over Dayana Yastremska.
Keys will next face Anna Bondar in the third round, with the match scheduled for 2 PM ET on Thursday.
A win would push Keys into the quarterfinal conversation as the 2026 Charleston Open continues to take shape heading into the weekend.
How to Watch Madison Keys at the 2026 Charleston Open
Charleston Open coverage continues through April 5th, with matches airing on live on The Tennis Channel.
The 2026 Credit One Charleston Open gets underway this week, marking the start of the tennis world's clay-court season.
The WTA 500 event runs from March 30th through April 5th. It features a 48-player singles draw on green clay, the only surface of its kind on tour. This year’s tournament additionally carries a $2.5 million prize pool, part of a push for pay equity at the 500 level.
"Women’s tennis is delivering at a very high level right now," said Charleston Open owner Ben Navarro. "Offering equal prize money is about respecting the players and the work they put in, and aligning the tournament with the value of the game.”
World No. 5 Jessica Pegula opens her campaign Tuesday, after the defending champion subsequently became the 10th US player to win the tournament in 2025.
"I'm glad that I've been able to be a part of this era of all these girls doing really well in the States," the 32-year-old said. "It's definitely motivated me to see them do well. It's an honor to be a part of this amazing group."
2022 champion Belinda Bencic and 2019 champion Madison Keys also headline the tournament's main draw.
This week's winner will earn 500 ranking points, as Pegula looks to build momentum ahead of next month's French Open.
How to Watch the 2026 Charleston Open Tennis Tournament
The Charleston Open continues through April 5th, with matches airing on live on The Tennis Channel.
With the 2026 Australian Open in the rearview mirror, this week's WTA rankings update reflected the season-opening Grand Slam's impact on tennis's top tier.
An exit from the Melbourne Slam's quarterfinals sent US star Coco Gauff skidding two spots to No. 5, as the newly crowned Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina took over Gauff's previous position at No. 3 alongside her second-career major tournament victory.
At the top of the WTA rankings, Australian Open finalist Aryna Sabalenka retained her world No. 1 status, followed by the similarly stable No. 2 Iga Świątek — despite the six-time Slam winner's own quarterfinals ousting.
On the flip side, 2025 champion Madison Keys fell six spots to No. 15, while young Canadian star Vicky Mboko and fan favorite Naomi Osaka each rose three spots to Nos. 13 and 14, respectively.
With Gauff's slight fall, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova now takes over as the top US talent after making her first Australian Open quarterfinals appearance last week.
No. 6 Jessica Pegula, No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 8 Jasmine Paolini all held steady, while new-No. 9 Belinda Bencic and new-No. 10 Elina Svitolina became the first two mothers to earn a Top 10 ranking at the same time.
"It's a dream to return to the WTA Top 10," Svitolina said after reaching her first Australian Open semifinal. "Doing it as a mother means so much to me. I'm proud of my fight and resilience."
Aryna Sabalenka is one match away from her third Australian Open title after the world No. 1 tennis star took down Ukraine's No. 12 Elina Svitolina in straight sets (6-2, 6-3) in the 2026 tournament's semifinals on Thursday.
Entering her fourth straight Australian Open final, the 27-year-old Belarusian initially won the Melbourne Grand Slam in 2023 and 2024 before dropping the 2025 final to US star No. 9 Madison Keys.
"The job is not done yet," Sabalenka said following her Thursday semifinal win.
Now hunting a fifth career Grand Slam victory after claiming a second consecutive US Open title last September, Sabalenka will face Kazakhstan's No. 5 Elena Rybakina in Saturday's final, after the 2022 Wimbledon champ downed No. 6 Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6(7) in Thursday's first match.
"It got very tight. I stayed there," the 26-year-old said after defeating the last-standing US star. "I was fighting for each point."
Notably, Saturday's final will also be a rematch of the 2023 Australian Open championship clash in which Sabalenka staged a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory.
Even more, though Sabalenka holds the all-time edge with an 8-6 career record against Rybakina, the Kazakhstani star has won six of the pair's last 10 meetings — including a dominant 6-3, 7-6(0) upset victory to take the 2025 WTA Finals title in November.
How to watch the 2026 Australian Open final
The 2026 Australian Open final between No. 1 Sabalenka and No. 5 Rybakina kicks off at 3:30 AM ET on Saturday, airing live on ESPN.
The US is flooding the quarterfinals of the 2026 Australian Open, with half of eight women still standing in the Grand Slam representing the United States.
World No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, and No. 27 Iva Jović all advanced from the weekend's fourth round, joining No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Świątek, No. 5 Elena Rybakina, and No. 12 Elina Svitolina in Monday and Tuesday's quarterfinals.
"I'm just trusting the level that I have been able to put out and hopefully that will be enough," 18-year-old Jović said as she gears up for her Monday night clash with Sabalenka — a two-time winner (2023, 2024) of the Melbourne Slam.
Pegula's success, meanwhile, came at the expense of her US teammate and the reigning Australian Open champion, No. 9 Madison Keys, whom she ousted in straight sets in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
Even more, Pegula's quarterfinal matchup will again feature friendly fire as she takes on Anisimova on Tuesday night.
"Sucks that one American has to go out in the quarterfinals," Anisimova said. "Jess is such a great player, so I'm sure it's going to be a great battle."
How to watch the 2026 Australian Open quarterfinals
The Australian Open quarterfinals start at 7:30 PM ET on Monday, when No. 27 Jović takes on No. 1 Sabalenka before No. 3 Gauff's 3 AM ET Tuesday matchup with No. 12 Svitolina.
No. 6 Pegula's clash with No. 4 Anisimova, as well as No. 5 Rybakina vs. No. 2 Świątek will close out the quarterfinals early Wednesday morning.
All matches from the Melbourne Slam air live across ESPN platforms.