On the vibrant occasion of the Fourth of July, Madison Keys made a stunning debut on Centre Court, advancing to the fourth round of Wimbledon by overcoming fellow American Amanda Anisimova with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
This marked the Australian Open champion’s first appearance on the illustrious Centre Court, while Anisimova returned after experiencing the thrill of being a runner-up here just a year prior.
Starting strong, Anisimova broke early for a 5-3 lead and successfully served to close out the opening set.
However, Keys quickly shifted momentum in the second set, wielding her serve with precision. She expertly combined pace and placement, winning an impressive 76 percent of her first-serve points, delivering four aces, and consistently putting pressure on her opponent.
While Keys’ serving prowess flourished, Anisimova struggled to find her rhythm, finishing with 27 unforced errors off her forehand, contributing to a total of 42 unforced errors that ultimately hindered her performance against Keys’ strategic play.
(Susan Mullane-Imagn Images)
Keys broke Anisimova’s serve twice in the second set, leveling the match, and in the decisive set, she broke at 2-1, maintaining her advantage until sealing the victory after two hours and one minute of intense play.
Keys accumulated 13 winners against 23 unforced errors, whereas Anisimova achieved 15 winners yet struggled with her overall 42 unforced errors, primarily from her forehand.
With this win, Keys has successfully reached the fourth round of Wimbledon for the fifth time in her career.
During her post-match press conference, Keys expressed her joy: “I’m thrilled to be advancing into another second week here at Wimbledon. It was a wonderful first experience on Centre Court for me. I’m feeling great!”
“Going into this match, I anticipated it would unfold similarly to how it did. I knew it would be crucial to capitalize on break point opportunities as swiftly as possible to secure the win.
“We weren’t going to have 45-shot rallies. After the first set, I realized that if I could apply pressure in her service games, I could turn the tide. I think I only had one break point chance in the first set, and I wasn’t really challenging her serve.
“Rather than trying to think too far ahead about needing breaks, my focus was on simply aiming to get to 30 in her service games to create some tension. It helped me stay focused, especially as I worked on maintaining my serve effectively.”
