This 17-point roundup is about the men and women who put it all on or inside the lines at the rowdiest major event of the season. The hits started early, and they certainly kept coming.

Check out No. 6 here.

Madison Keys. Kevin Anderson. If, in your brackets, you had these two soaring to their respective finals in New York City this month, you certainly would have made some bank yourself.

Keys outdid CoCo Vandeweghe, Elina Svitolina, Elena Vesnina and three more human tests to pave her own way to a first major championship round. Blast-from-the-past photos of her circulated early and often—she even had a Twitter exchange about it with coach Lindsay Davenport—but Keys was far more focused on her future.

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She created that future for herself by cranking up the forehand speed and letting rip with unbridled aggression over seven matches.

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In the final, against her pal Sloane Stephens, Keys was a shard of her former self in the event. She stomached a 6-3, 6-0 drubbing before exchanging the most tender moment of this US Open at net with her friend.

Keys could certainly take some measure of consolation in the fact that, at age 22, she will have more chances like this.

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At the same time, South Africa's Kevin Anderson took advantage of an unexpectedly shallow bottom-half of the men's draw, pounding his way out of it to make an appearance in the final. Along the way, he claimed the figurative scalps of a confidence-soaked Sam Querrey, Pablo Carrena Busta, Borna Coric and another trio of foes.

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The daunting task that faced him then: against all odds, trying to serve his way through Rafael Nadal and uproot the then-15-time major champ, with whom he has some history.

It wasn't to be for Anderson. Even the 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 scoreline at the finish looked closer than the match ever seemed, but he conducted himself extraordinarily well over two full weeks of major singles play, something that he, like Keys, had never experienced. And for that he was grateful.

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It has been said, even by tennis players, that no one remembers the runner-up in situations like these. Anderson and Keys made it easy to disagree with those words.

Follow Jon on Twitter: @jonscott9.