The 5 Best Matches From the US Open Second Round

From crazy comebacks to emotional farewells, round two of the US Open has been nothing short of electrifying. Rain delays impeded much of the action on Tuesday, pushing many matches to Wednesday, which also experienced an inordinate amount of weather delays. Despite the scheduling changes, players persevered to produce some beautiful tennis under the gray skies in Queens.

American stars on both the men's and women's draws were among those who stepped into the spotlight, producing some of the round’s most hyped up matches. Check out five of the top matches from round two action across Flushing Meadows.

Madison Keys Defeats Anna Bondar

In what is arguably one of the most thrilling matches of the tournament so far, American Madison Keys saved five match points in the final set tiebreaker to defeat World No. 73 Anna Bondar. The 22nd seed narrowly escaped a loss when Bondar double faulted her first two match points and then again with two forehand winners while down 15-40 on her serve at 3-5. Keys avoided an early loss with one more perfectly timed forehand winner to take the game and force the Hungarian to attempt to serve out the match.

The 2025 Australian Open champion went on to win the next two games for a 6-5 lead before Bondar forced a tiebreak. Keys found herself coming from behind once again when Bondar took a 5-3 lead. It was the American's time to shine from that point on, winning the next seven points to take the match, four of which were forehand winners.

According to the WTA, this is Keys' first time winning a match at the US Open after saving a match point. "That was something, huh," Keys told Stadium 17 afterwards. "Today it was really just trying to remind myself that the match wasn't over yet, and there was still another point to be played."

Frances Tiafoe Defeats Rei Sakamoto

Any match that Frances Tiafoe plays promises instant entertainment. The American defeated qualifier Rei Sakamoto in a tight three sets under the lights of Louis Armstrong, a stadium where Big Foe just seems to come alive.

Tiafoe, who came off a five set win over compatriot Martin Damm Jr., was feeling it on Wednesday night as he broke early in the first set before winning it 6-3. Sakamoto seemed to find his game in the second set, breaking Tiafoe in his first service game, although Tiafoe broke right back. The set eventually went into a tiebreak that Tiafoe won 7-2. Both men played an incredibly tight third set with Tiafoe breaking at 6-5 to win the match.

"I thought I played pretty well today, much better than I did in my first match," Tiafoe said after his win. "Happy it was more routine. I just stayed super solid. I thought I hit the ball pretty nicely from the back of the court. It was nice not playing an American."

Qinwen Zheng Defeats Yulia Putintseva

It's been a long road back to tennis for China's Qinwen Zheng. Despite being an Olympic gold medalist and former Australian Open finalist, Zheng had to go through qualifiers to make the main draw in Flushing Meadows due to an elbow injury that sidelined her for a majority of 2025. After getting surgery, the former World No. 4 was forced to recover for longer than expected, causing her to miss this year's Australian Open and plummet through the rankings.

The 23-year-old appeared to struggle in the months since returning to tour, often looking a lackluster version of her former self. She may have just found her rhythm again after a hard-fought three set win over World No. 84 Yulia Putintseva. Putintseva, who stunned Belinda Bencic in the first round, was left frustrated throughout the match, throwing her racket and berating herself.

Zheng was thrilled to find herself back in the third round of a Slam if her emotional flop on the court was any indication. She admitted this is the first time she's felt her competitiveness return.

"The second time I came back, it was hard because I felt I totally lost the dynamic for how to compete as an athlete," she said in her post-match press conference. "Now, after two three months, I really felt the first time in this tournament, I find myself. I find my fire back during the competition."

Learner Tien Defeats Gael Monfils

La Monf bowed out of the last Grand Slam match of his career with a straight set loss to American Learner Tien in Louis Armstrong on Thursday night. The 40-year-old Frenchman bid an emotional goodbye to a stadium of fans chanting his name.

“It has been a long ride," Monfils addressed the crowd. "I came here in 2003 for the juniors for the first time and here I am in 2026, so it’s a helluva long ride. I felt all the love and I can tell you that you guys are my second-best crowd, of course after Paris, but you are up there, so thank you so much.”

It was a clinical match from the young American, although Monfils still had a few tricks up his sleeve. The Frenchman was running across the court to meet as many of Tien's balls as he could, a glimpse of who was once the fastest man on tour shining through to meet the moment. The 40-year-old was pumped as he even hit a down-the-line backhand on the run to hold serve at 2-2 in the third set.

Tien, who is the youngest American man to reach the US Open third round since 2016, made way for Monfils as the USTA organized a short ceremony for his retirement. "I told him when we play in Montreal that I hope we get to play one more time,” Tien told the crowd. “And I know that we didn’t have that many opportunities left, so I’m super happy it happened here. Sorry for dropshotting you so much tonight."

Amanda Anisimova Defeats Lilli Tagger

Amanda Anisimova appeared to be in the driver's seat on Grandstand as she took the opening set against 18-year-old Lilli Tagger. The American dominated rallies, forcing Tagger to run around the court while firing off balls from both sides of the baseline.

Tagger, who was playing in her fist US Open main draw, didn't back down. After a lucky net clip saw her backhand drop inside the court to give her breakpoint at 1-2 in the second set, Anisimova double faulted. The Austrian put herself back in the match, winning four out of the next five games to stun Anisimova and win the second set 6-3.

The American was fired up by the start of the third set, breaking Tagger early on to race ahead to a 3-0 lead. Tagger was unable to hold her serve a second time, and the young Austrian only managed to snag one game in the third set. It was a tough ask for Tagger, but she was able to hold her own against the 10th seed.

"It was an extremely challenging match," Anisimova said. "I thought Lilli played very well, and I was anticipating that. I was going into it knowing it would be a very tough match. I gathered myself there in the third set. I was a bit of a crazy woman in the second set."

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