Madison Keys loses in stunning Wimbledon upset to 104th-ranked Laura Siegemund
Keys' exit left just one of the top six women in the bracket before the end of Week 1: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who stuck around by claiming the last five games and defeating 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu of Britain 7-6 (6), 6-4 at a boisterous Centre Court at night.
No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Jasmine Paolini and No. 5 Zheng Qinwen already were out.
The men's field has also seen its share of surprises, including a Wimbledon record 13 seeds going out in the first round.
'At times, it wasn't the best quality, let's say. But I managed, and in the end, it's just important to find solutions and I did that well. Kept my nerves in the end,' Siegemund said, then added with a laugh: 'There are always nerves. If you don't have nerves in this moment, you're probably dead.'
Madison Keys plays a forehand in the Ladies' Singles Third Round match against Laura Siegemund of Germany on day five of Wimbledon.
Getty Images
Wimbledon might be the only Grand Slam event where Keys hasn't reached at least the semifinals, but she has participated in the quarterfinals there twice and is enjoying a breakthrough 2025, including her title at Melbourne Park in January.
Keys' power vs. Siegemund's spins and slices offered quite a contrast in styles, and this outcome was surprisingly one-way traffic on a windy afternoon at No. 2 Court.
The key statistic, undoubtedly, was this: Keys made 31 unforced errors, 20 more than Siegemund.
Laura Siegemund of celebrates winning match point against Madison Keys.
Getty Images
When it ended with one last backhand return from Keys that sailed wide, Siegemund smiled broadly, raised her arms and jumped up and down repeatedly.
'You can't not be happy when you beat a great player like Madison,' Siegemund said.
How unexpected is this for Siegemund? Before this year, her career record at the All England Club was 2-5, and she'd never made it past the second round. Taking into account all four Grand Slam tournaments, she had reached the third round only once in 28 previous appearances, getting to the quarterfinals at the 2020 French Open.
'There is technically no pressure for me,' said Siegemund, at 37 the oldest woman remaining in the tournament. 'I try to remember that I only play for myself. I don't feel like I need to prove anything anymore. My boyfriend often tells me that.'
On Sunday, the German faces another participant no one could have predicted would be at this stage of the grass-court major: 101st-ranked Solana Sierra of Argentina, who lost in qualifying and made it into the main draw when another player withdrew.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Wimbledon relaxes strict dress code to allow Portuguese players to pay tribute to Diogo Jota
A black ribbon is worn by Francisco Cabral of Portugal as he plays his men's doubles second-round match on Friday at Wimbledon. -Portuguese tennis players Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges were given permission to stray from Wimbledon's strict all-white dress code to honor the late Liverpool and Portugal soccer star Diogo Jota, they told reporters, including CNN, on Friday. Jota died in a car crash in Spain early Thursday morning. He was 28. His brother, André Silva – who was also a professional soccer player – also died in the accident at the age of 25. Advertisement Cabral, who competed in men's doubles, told CNN Friday that he initially wanted to wear a black armband, but he said he was told that would not be allowed. He was granted approval to wear a small black ribbon instead. The AELTC said to CNN in a statement: 'We are always open to having conversations with players regarding such matters, and given the tragic circumstances, the Referee's Office has approved the players wearing a black ribbon as a mark of respect and condolence.' Cabral, ranked 40th in the world in doubles, won his first-round match Thursday but fell in the second round Friday with his playing partner Lucas Miedler of Austria. 'Yesterday, I came up with the idea of wearing a black strap, but that was not allowed,' Cabral said. 'The players' relations, they had a black ribbon, and I asked for permission. They let me play with it and I just did it this morning. Advertisement 'It was an honor. It's not for the best reason. But yeah, he was not only an inspiration to me but for the country in general, he meant so much in the sport. He conquered so much in his life. So it was just an honor for me to try and help, if only 1% for the family and everybody.' Later Friday, in the men's singles draw, Portugal's Nuno Borges – with a black ribbon affixed on his white cap – lost to Russian and No. 17 seed Karen Khachanov in five sets. After the match, Borges said that he had initially hoped to walk out on court in a full red Portugal top, but his team was told that would not be allowed. Instead, he opted for the same small black ribbon worn by Cabral. 'I think it was a nice gesture for him (Jota). He was a great footballer, it's a tragedy,' Borges said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Emma Raducanu calls out Wimbledon for ‘disappointing' electronic line calling: ‘So wrong'
It's clear that Emma Raducanu was not happy about Wimbledon's electronic line calling on Friday. During her tightly contested defeat to top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round, the 22-year-old called out to the chair umpire over a line call, asking, 'You saw it out as well, right?' The controversial call, which Raducanu questioned, was a first serve by Sabalenka at 2-4, 15-0, which did appear to miss the line upon replay. 3 Emma Raducanu plays a backhand against Aryna Sabalenka on day five of Wimbledon 2025. Getty Images The serve ultimately led to Sabalenka going up 30-0 in a pivotal set during the match, helping her stage a comeback after going down early. 'That call was, like, for sure out,' Raducanu said in her press conference after the match. 'It's kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong, but for the most part, they've been OK. 'It's just, like, I've had a few in my other matches, too, that have been very wrong. So yeah, I don't know. Hopefully, they can fix that.' Raducanu ultimately lost to Sabalenka 7-6, 6-4, and showed her frustration after the match. 3 Emma Raducanu against Aryna Sabalenka on day five of Wimbledon. Getty Images 'I don't think I've really had a loss like this in a long time, where I feel like I maybe had chances and didn't take them,' said Raducanu. 'I think usually I'm pretty good at converting.' 'I'll probably find it tough to sleep tonight,' she added. 'It's going to take me a few days to process. But at the same time, it really motivates me. 'It could be a good thing that I'm like, 'OK, I want to get straight back to work.' I want to solidify my game so that in the big moments I can back myself a little bit more.' 3 Emma Raducanu reacts against Aryna Sabalenka on day five of Wimbledon. Getty Images As for Sabalenka, she'll face off against Elise Mertens on Sunday in the round of 16.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wimbledon 2025: Aryna Sabalenka holds off inspired Emma Raducanu in thriller to reach last-16
Aryna Sabalenka was given a real scare but battled her way past Emma Raducanu in front of a raucous Centre Court crowd. The atmosphere was heightened by the closing of the roof and Raducanu provided those in attendance with plenty to get behind, as she went toe-to-toe with the world number one over two hours. Advertisement Raducanu led 4-2 in the first set and 4-1 in the second but could not get over the line on either occasion, as Sabalenka booked her place in the last-16 with a 7-6 6-4 win. "She played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard,' Sabalenka said. 'To get this win, I had to fight for every point like crazy. I'm super happy with the win of course. I'm super happy to see her healthy and back on track. I'm pretty sure that she will be back in the top 10 soon.' Asked about the frenzied atmosphere, she added: "What an atmosphere. My ears are still hurting, honestly. It was super loud! Every time you were cheering her, I was trying to tell myself to just pretend that you were just cheering for me. I had goosebumps honestly, so thank you for the atmosphere." Advertisement Raducanu was hugely impressive in beating 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round but this was a significant step up, against the top seed Sabalenka who has reached at least the quarter-finals of every Grand Slam she has played since the French Open three years ago. The Briton, though, was up for the fight. So too were those in the stands, every winner greeted with a huge roar, the noise rivalled only by the increasingly animated shrieks coming from Sabalenka as the tension built. Raducanu landed the first blow, breaking to lead 4-2, but a loose game then allowed Sabalenka to level things up, winning eight points in a row as the Briton struggled to adapt to the new balls and sent a succession of groundstrokes long. Then came a truly remarkable passage of play, a game that lasted 13 minutes and brought seven set points for the world number one. On each occasion Raducanu held firm, her first serve repeatedly getting her out of trouble, as she somehow clawed her way to a hold. Advertisement That appeared even more significant when Raducanu then broke to lead 6-5, but Sabalenka responded immediately to force a tie-break. It ebbed and flowed, Sabalenka incredibly brave in saving set point with a perfect drop shot, and a well-judged volley sealed an epic set after 74 minutes. That could have taken the wind out of Raducanu's sails but she came roaring back to lead 4-1. The crucial game then came as she had a break point to near enough seal the set, but a forehand went long and Sabalenka stayed in touch at 4-2. That was the first of five games in a row that would take her to victory, even if she did threaten further late drama with a double fault on her second match point. The third was converted, though, Raducanu's race finally run after a mammoth effort.
