Madison Keys lost in three sets to No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, who will face Coco Gauff for the women's title, ending hopes of an all-American U.S. Open finals.
After the match, Keys let her emotions show in her news conference, which earned fan support.
“Everyone at the start of the tournament would be excited to be in the semis. Currently, it stinks,” Keys said, wiping away tears.
The 28-year-old Keys won the opening set 6-0 but lost the last two in tiebreakers, 6-7 (1) and 6-7 (10-5).
Keys added, “Yeah I just think, being able to take this and turn it into a positive is really possible,” before wiping her eyes for 10 seconds.
Keys, the No. 17 seed, wiped away tears as she left the podium, ending her interview.
No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated Keys in three sets, after dominating the first set. Keys led 5-3 in the second set and served for the match.
Coco Gauff will challenge Sabalenka for the women's title.REUTERS Another fan: “This is heartbreaking. I thought she won. That must be difficult to digest in sports. Great admiration for her.”