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As rain poured down on a drab and dreary afternoon at the US Open, inside Arthur Ashe Stadium Madison Keys made one thing abundantly clear: the state of American tennis is brighter than ever.
On the female side of the game, that is especially true. Keys, now something of a veteran at the ripe old age of 31, is among seven American seeds in the women's singles draw - three of which in the top 10 - and so far, all seven are still standing.
The Illinois native kept the impressive run going with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Russian debutant Alina Korneeva, who performed well under the bright lights of Ashe but ultimately didn't have enough to trouble her American rival.
The bigger story, though, is how women's tennis in America has come out the other side of the dominant Williams era - in which Serena and Venus ruled for the best part of two decades - and is now arguably just as strong. Stick with me on this.
At this year's tournament, while the old guard still hangs around, the show courts are occupied by the likes of Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, all of whom have what it takes to fight world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the deep stages of this tournament.
What must come next, though, is titles. Of the seven seeds still standing - which also includes Iva Jovic, Emma Navarro and Ann Li - only two in Gauff and Keys have a Grand Slam title in their career.
Madison Keys celebrates winning a point during her straight-sets win over Alina Korneeva
Coco Gauff is one of the biggest stars of American tennis, with two Grand Slams under her belt
Keys won the Australian Open in 2025, while Gauff had that remarkable US Open triumph in 2023, followed up by last year's French.
Anisimova has come close - most notably that heartbreaking 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon last year, while Pegula - now No 3 in the world - reached the US Open final in 2024 but ultimately fell to Sabalenka.
Now compare that with the Williams sisters. Serena, of course, has 23 Grand Slam titles, the most in the Open era, while Venus has seven of her own.
The likes of Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati deserve a mention too, but in this social media era of the sport, the possibilities are endless for the current crop of stars.
In such a wide open women's game, these Americans - these marketing machines - have a golden opportunity to cement themselves in history, and that must start now.
While Keys and Pegula are the wrong side of 30, plenty of the talented American women are young, and none more so than Jovic, who carries the weight of the country's expectations on her shoulders at the age of just 18.
Korneeva was making her US Open debut on Tuesday but Keys proved too much for her
Iva Jovic is just 18 and is destined to be the next big star of women's tennis in America
Jessica Pegula is the highest-ranked American woman at the US Open, at No 3
She has raced to a career high of No 14 in the WTA rankings already, winning her first tour title at the Guadalajara Open last year. Jovic also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon this year and all eyes are on her in New York this week to see what she can do.
That's not to mention her 330,000 Instagram followers, and brand deals with the likes of Adidas, Gorjana, Red Bull and Yonex.
Each of the seven women have their merits, though, and Keys' display on Ashe on Tuesday afternoon was a reminder not to forget about her.
The tournament is still young, and there is plenty of room for error - but the talent in this pool of women is unprecedented, and with Sabalenka being hunted down at the top of the rankings, it could just be the time for America to dominate the Slams once more.
