Madison Keys was one point from trouble, then turned the match around. Trailing late in the third set against Anna Bondar at the 2026 US Open, Keys rallied and won, a comeback that kept her moving through a tournament that has already punished the careless.
That result matters now because Keys is listed as a 1.62 favorite in her WTA US Open match, and the women’s draw is still open enough that a single wobble can change the bracket. The 2026 US Open is being played at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center, and the early rounds have already shown how quickly a big name can disappear if the level drops for even a few games.
Keys needed more than reputation to survive this one. She had been described as shaky and coming off a disappointing year, which made the late third-set deficit feel bigger than the scoreline alone. Instead, she found enough to pull through against Bondar, and that recovery may matter as much as the win itself if confidence is the real issue in her season.
The wider women’s race is still unsettled for other reasons, too. Qinwen Zheng has already won two consecutive three-set matches, including one against Yulia Putintseva, while Mirra Andreeva and Nikola Bartunkova are meeting for the first time, with Andreeva carrying the weight of a Roland-Garros title earlier this year and a strong hardcourt record. Bartunkova, by contrast, is a heavy 4.61 underdog, with the market also offering 5.5 games at 1.70 @10bet and over 2.5 sets at 2.41 @bet.
For Keys, the main question is no longer whether she can survive one match. It is whether this comeback is the start of a steadier run, or just the one escape she needed before the next test arrives.
