Madison Keys will not play the Madrid Open. The 2025 Australian Open champion pulled out of the draw just 30 minutes before her second-round match against Shuai Zhang, scheduled for 11 AM on Friday on Court 3 at the Caja Mágica.
The 16th seed cited illness as the reason for her late withdrawal. Lucky loser Anastasia Potapova immediately stepped into the draw to face the Chinese player.
The late withdrawal deprives the Madrid tournament of a marquee player. Keys, 31, had been riding a solid season following her historic maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne in January 2025. The American had not lifted a trophy since, but her hard-court results remained consistent throughout the campaign.
Fitness concerns and scheduling challenges continue to shadow the former US Open finalist's career. At the 2025 WTA Finals, Keys was forced into a similarly last-minute withdrawal. This time, it is her clay-court campaign that begins under a cloud of uncertainty.
Her next scheduled appearance is the Rome WTA 1000 in mid-May, where she hopes to properly launch her Roland-Garros preparations. A tight turnaround that leaves little room for error in finding her footing on the red dirt.
Keys' absence joins those of Amanda Anisimova and Ekaterina Alexandrova. Three seeded players have left the women's draw in Madrid before hitting a ball, further clearing the path for top favorites Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, both of whom advanced through the second round with authority.
