Keys appeared poised for a first fourth-round appearance at her home slam since 2023 after taking a commanding lead against Olympic champion Zheng.
However, the 2025 Australian Open winner missed a match point and lost the final seven games, falling 1-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 in a result that stunned the crowd.
Reflecting on the encounter, Keys admitted she felt she “couldn’t play tennis anymore” in the final set, saying, “I obviously got off to a really good lead, and then I got really scared, like I couldn’t swing [the racquet].”
“I felt like I couldn’t play tennis anymore. It just felt like it was a much bigger deal than just playing a tennis match all of a sudden,” she added.
The 31-year-old acknowledged she has been struggling and will need to make changes, noting she has been putting off necessary adjustments.
Elsewhere, Anisimova was eliminated in straight sets by 24th seed Anastasia Potapova, who handed the 25-year-old a tough loss, with Anisimova visibly frustrated after losing her serve twice in the first set and four times in a topsy-turvy second.
Seeded 13th, Osaka fought back from a break down in the decider to defeat Belgian 23rd seed Elise Mertens 6-3 3-6 7-5, setting up a last-16 clash against second seed Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina demonstrated her quality with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 victory over Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva, a win that guarantees she will become the new world number one if she reaches the semi-finals.
