
Australian Open champion Keys stunned at Wimbledon
The 30-year-old is the fifth player among the top six seeds in the women's draw to suffer a surprise exit from this year's tournament.
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen had already bowed out, though world number one Aryna Sabalenka is still alive.
Keys, who beat Sabalenka to clinch her maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne in January, is yet to make it past the quarter-finals in 11 visits to the All England Club.
She made 31 unforced errors in a lacklustre display against Siegemund.
It was a miserable way to spend the fourth of July for Keys while her compatriots celebrated the Independence Day holiday back in the United States.
Siegemund, who beat former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in the second round, is through to the Wimbledon last 16 for the first time.
At 37, she is the oldest player left in the women's tournament, with her best Grand Slam singles run coming when she made the French Open quarter-finals in 2020.
"When you beat a great player like Madison you have to be really happy," said Siegemund. "I managed to keep my nerve in the end. If you don't have nerves in this moment you are probably dead.
"It was a big opportunity. You just take a deep breath and remember your strategy.
"All the girls on the tour are perfectionists. I'm the same but there was no pressure for me. I don't feel like I need to prove anything anymore."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Djokovic banks on 'home' advantage against Davis Cup teammate at Wimbledon
Also in action on day six of the championships are Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, both of whom have flown under the radar so far. AFP Sport picks out three matches to watch at the All England Club. History-chasing Djokovic feels 'sharp' Novak Djokovic has earned the right to talk with confidence as he seeks a record 25th Grand Slam. The seven-time champion, locked with the long-retired Margaret Court on 24 majors, dropped a set in his opening match but lost just five games in total in the second round against British wildcard Dan Evans. A third-round clash against Miomir Kecmanovic will hold few fears for the sixth seed, who has not lost against his 49th-ranked compatriot in three previous meetings. "If I play like today, I feel like I have a very good chance against anybody, really, on the Centre Court of Wimbledon, a place where I maybe feel the most comfortable on any court," he said after his win against Evans. "Rod Laver Arena and Wimbledon Centre Court are the two courts where I've done so well throughout my career. "I felt great physically, mentally sharp. Game-wise, I'm playing as well as I can, really, on grass. So hopefully I can keep it up." Swiatek's confidence grows on grass Iga Swiatek has quietly gone about her business at this year's Wimbledon but will have watched the exit of most of her top rivals with interest. The five-time Grand Slam champion is seeded eighth at the All England club after slipping down the rankings, though she is now back in the world's top four after reaching the Bad Homburg final last week. The Polish player, who faces American Danielle Collins in the third round, has won at least one Grand Slam in four of the past five years, though she has never been beyond the quarter-finals at the All England Club. But a glance at the draw makes interesting reading, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka the only player remaining from among the top six seeds. Swiatek, who has won four titles on the French Open clay, takes confidence from her recent run to the final on grass in Germany. "For sure, these matches in Bad Homburg gave me confidence. Also, the body feels the matches differently than the practices," she said. US player Collins postponed her retirement in October when ranked ninth in the world but has tumbled to 54th in the rankings after a frustrating season. Sinner in the groove Like Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner has been content to stay out of the spotlight at the All England Club while other players grab the headlines. The Italian has barely broken sweat so far as he settles in on grass following his painful defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final, where he squandered three championship points. Alcaraz is through to the last 16 already but has not hit top form so far and will know he has to cut out the errors. Sinner, by contrast, has played two matches so far and lost just 12 games in easing past Luca Nardi and Aleksandar Vukic. On Saturday the 23-year-old meets Spain's Pedro Martinez, whom he beat in their single meeting in 2022.


France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Mbappe 'better' and ready for Real Madrid against Dortmund at Club World Cup
Mbappe missed all three group matches at the tournament with a stomach bug but returned as a substitute when Madrid edged Juventus 1-0 to reach the last eight. Youngster Gonzalo Garcia has led the line for Madrid in all four games and scored three goals in the United States. "He's better, he's been recovering, tomorrow morning we will decide (if he starts)," Alonso told reporters Friday, before saying it might not mean 21-year-old Gonzalo had to drop out of the team. "They can (play together), depending on the moment and the needs, they are complementary, if the context asks for it and I haven't ruled it out by any means," continued Alonso. The Spaniard said he wanted the players "to know first" before revealing what his plans were for the match at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Brazilian winger Rodrygo has not featured much in Alonso's plans at the tournament and when he has appeared, has not been able to contribute significantly. "I spoke yesterday with him and he's got a positive mentality, he's willing and ready when he's needed," said Alonso. One player who has impressed Alonso is 20-year-old playmaker Arda Guler, who struggled for game-time under Carlo Ancelotti last season. "It's the moment to invest in a process with Arda, we will push him to develop and mature, but knowing that he can make mistakes, and accept them," added the Spaniard. Saturday's game is a repeat of the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, in which Madrid defeated Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley. If Dortmund do not retain fond memories of that night, they do enter the contest armed with plenty of knowledge of Real's new coach having come up against Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen over the past three years. Kovac: 'We believe' "You see a lot of Bayer Leverkusen at the moment in Real Madrid because he is implementing his style of football," said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, with the Spanish giants operating with a back three at the tournament. "He is playing the same shape, but the quality of players is higher than at Leverkusen. "I would say in three weeks you can't change the world, it takes time, but we have seen some very good stuff. It will be interesting and hopefully we can compete." Dortmund are returning to the MetLife Stadium, just outside New York City, where they began their Club World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Fluminense. Now they are hoping to emulate the Brazilians, who qualified for the semi-finals on Friday with a 2-1 victory over Al-Hilal. "When we started the tournament we didn't know how it would go," admitted Kovac, whose team arrived in the United States after finishing fourth in the German Bundesliga. Their only defeat in 14 matches since mid-March came against Barcelona in the Champions League. "Of course we are very happy because this is a great tournament and the further on we go we can see the passion and intensity that there is. "We played Fluminense who have made it to the semis, and yet people laughed when I said they were a top team. "Now we want to stay here and we hope and believe we can get through to the next round." © 2025 AFP


France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Bayern Club World Cup clash with PSG a 'perfect storm': Kompany
Both Luis Enrique's PSG and Kompany's Bayern, champions of the French and German leagues respectively, like to dominate the ball, press high and play attacking football. "You have teams who are able to make a lot of good use of the ball in nearly every game, against deep blocks, high presses, everything," Kompany told a news conference Friday. "That creates a sort of, what we've seen here a lot, thunderstorm, right? It's a perfect storm. These games are always interesting, and... I would pay to watch it." Bayern and PSG can rest easy on Saturday because of the roof at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta which means there will be no storm disruption, and Kompany said the match would be one to savour. "If I was a neutral, I would come to see this game, for sure," he said. "Both teams have quite 'extreme' principles, which is why it's usually an interesting game." Despite the obvious strength of the Champions League winners, Kompany said there was no side he would rather face than the Parisians. "There's no reason to think that they're not going to be absolutely at their best tomorrow, but I think it's the type of challenge you like," he explained. "If I could pick one team to face, as a professional athlete, as a competitor, it's always the winners, and they are the winners, so we get a chance to play against them. "It's tough, it's the toughest game, maybe, but that's why we're here, so I wouldn't have it any other way." 'Completely over the top' The Belgian coach also hailed his PSG counterpart Luis Enrique, who won the treble with the French side. In November PSG lost 1-0 against Bayern but Kompany said criticism of the Spaniard at the time was greatly overblown. "I could follow (his press conference) on one of the big screens and all the questions that were asked to him were completely over the top," said Kompany. "Really tough questions, big statements, everything is over, you failed in your job, you can do nothing -- all these big statements. "But I remember watching his team before we played them, most games they should have won 5-0 but somehow it was 1-1 or they lost, so it wasn't reflective of the spirit of the team... (or) of the dominance they had in every game." Kompany said he was happy to see Luis Enrique's determination rewarded. "It's nice to see that in those moments consistency paid off for him, but most importantly that he was strong enough to continue," said the coach. "It's not a compliment I'm giving, it's just a fact... it's just interesting to do this (rematch) six months fast forward, and to see how much things can change." © 2025 AFP