Latest news with #MadisonKeys'
The Advertiser
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Australian Open champ joins Wimbledon seeds cull
Madison Keys' dream of completing a famous double is over as the Australian Open champ became the 18th women's seed and latest grand slam champion to be dumped out of this shock-laden Wimbledon. The sixth-seeded American was sent crashing on American Independence Day 6-3 6-3 by the tough German veteran Laura Siegmund as she became the fifth of the top-six seeds, and sixth out of the top-10, to be sent spinning out of the event on Friday. Keys had been out to become the first player since Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, to pull off the AO-Wimbledon double but the world No.104 Siegemund, playing some of her best tennis at 37, was in inspired mood in the sunshine on No.2 Court. She outplayed the big-hitting American and even when getting nervous with the winning line in sight, held her nerve. "If you don't have nerves, then you're probably dead!" she joked with the crowd afterwards. "I only play for myself, I don't feel like I need to prove anything any more - my boyfriend tells me that," beamed Siegemund, now the oldest player left in the women's draw. "It's important to remember the core of why you are doing this. I'm playing for me and I don't feel pressure this way." She'll next play Solana Sierra, who became the first woman 'lucky loser' to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, beating Spain's Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1. How must this have made Australian Talia Gibson feel? She had knocked out Sierra out in the final match of qualifying, only to get knocked out in the first round herself. Meanwhile, her Argentine victim Sierra got a reprieve and was brought into the draw as a 'lucky loser' and has since won three matches, knocking out another Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round and Alex de Minaur's British fiancee Katie Boulter in the second. Earlier, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka's hope of finally getting to the last-16 of a slam that's she's never mastered fell short as she surrendered a one-set lead to go down 3-6 6-4 6-4 to former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The former world No.1, who's been a two-time champion at both the US Open and Australian Open, hadn't been in the last-32 for seven years She looked set to claim a small piece of personal history before failing to capitalise on two break points at 4-4 in set two and subsequently going down 3-6 6-4 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist nine years ago, will next take on the soaring Briton Sonay Kartal, who had the home crowd cheering on No.1 Court as she defeated French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4 6-2 to make the last-16 of a grand slam for the first time in her career. The 23-year-old Kartal, ranked 298 this time last year, will now break into the top 50 and could even finish the tournament as British No.1, ahead of the Emma Raducanu and Boulter. American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova at least avoided the cull of seeds, as she beat Hungary's Dalma Galfi 6-3 5-7 6-3. Madison Keys' dream of completing a famous double is over as the Australian Open champ became the 18th women's seed and latest grand slam champion to be dumped out of this shock-laden Wimbledon. The sixth-seeded American was sent crashing on American Independence Day 6-3 6-3 by the tough German veteran Laura Siegmund as she became the fifth of the top-six seeds, and sixth out of the top-10, to be sent spinning out of the event on Friday. Keys had been out to become the first player since Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, to pull off the AO-Wimbledon double but the world No.104 Siegemund, playing some of her best tennis at 37, was in inspired mood in the sunshine on No.2 Court. She outplayed the big-hitting American and even when getting nervous with the winning line in sight, held her nerve. "If you don't have nerves, then you're probably dead!" she joked with the crowd afterwards. "I only play for myself, I don't feel like I need to prove anything any more - my boyfriend tells me that," beamed Siegemund, now the oldest player left in the women's draw. "It's important to remember the core of why you are doing this. I'm playing for me and I don't feel pressure this way." She'll next play Solana Sierra, who became the first woman 'lucky loser' to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, beating Spain's Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1. How must this have made Australian Talia Gibson feel? She had knocked out Sierra out in the final match of qualifying, only to get knocked out in the first round herself. Meanwhile, her Argentine victim Sierra got a reprieve and was brought into the draw as a 'lucky loser' and has since won three matches, knocking out another Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round and Alex de Minaur's British fiancee Katie Boulter in the second. Earlier, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka's hope of finally getting to the last-16 of a slam that's she's never mastered fell short as she surrendered a one-set lead to go down 3-6 6-4 6-4 to former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The former world No.1, who's been a two-time champion at both the US Open and Australian Open, hadn't been in the last-32 for seven years She looked set to claim a small piece of personal history before failing to capitalise on two break points at 4-4 in set two and subsequently going down 3-6 6-4 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist nine years ago, will next take on the soaring Briton Sonay Kartal, who had the home crowd cheering on No.1 Court as she defeated French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4 6-2 to make the last-16 of a grand slam for the first time in her career. The 23-year-old Kartal, ranked 298 this time last year, will now break into the top 50 and could even finish the tournament as British No.1, ahead of the Emma Raducanu and Boulter. American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova at least avoided the cull of seeds, as she beat Hungary's Dalma Galfi 6-3 5-7 6-3. Madison Keys' dream of completing a famous double is over as the Australian Open champ became the 18th women's seed and latest grand slam champion to be dumped out of this shock-laden Wimbledon. The sixth-seeded American was sent crashing on American Independence Day 6-3 6-3 by the tough German veteran Laura Siegmund as she became the fifth of the top-six seeds, and sixth out of the top-10, to be sent spinning out of the event on Friday. Keys had been out to become the first player since Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, to pull off the AO-Wimbledon double but the world No.104 Siegemund, playing some of her best tennis at 37, was in inspired mood in the sunshine on No.2 Court. She outplayed the big-hitting American and even when getting nervous with the winning line in sight, held her nerve. "If you don't have nerves, then you're probably dead!" she joked with the crowd afterwards. "I only play for myself, I don't feel like I need to prove anything any more - my boyfriend tells me that," beamed Siegemund, now the oldest player left in the women's draw. "It's important to remember the core of why you are doing this. I'm playing for me and I don't feel pressure this way." She'll next play Solana Sierra, who became the first woman 'lucky loser' to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, beating Spain's Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1. How must this have made Australian Talia Gibson feel? She had knocked out Sierra out in the final match of qualifying, only to get knocked out in the first round herself. Meanwhile, her Argentine victim Sierra got a reprieve and was brought into the draw as a 'lucky loser' and has since won three matches, knocking out another Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round and Alex de Minaur's British fiancee Katie Boulter in the second. Earlier, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka's hope of finally getting to the last-16 of a slam that's she's never mastered fell short as she surrendered a one-set lead to go down 3-6 6-4 6-4 to former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The former world No.1, who's been a two-time champion at both the US Open and Australian Open, hadn't been in the last-32 for seven years She looked set to claim a small piece of personal history before failing to capitalise on two break points at 4-4 in set two and subsequently going down 3-6 6-4 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist nine years ago, will next take on the soaring Briton Sonay Kartal, who had the home crowd cheering on No.1 Court as she defeated French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4 6-2 to make the last-16 of a grand slam for the first time in her career. The 23-year-old Kartal, ranked 298 this time last year, will now break into the top 50 and could even finish the tournament as British No.1, ahead of the Emma Raducanu and Boulter. American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova at least avoided the cull of seeds, as she beat Hungary's Dalma Galfi 6-3 5-7 6-3. Madison Keys' dream of completing a famous double is over as the Australian Open champ became the 18th women's seed and latest grand slam champion to be dumped out of this shock-laden Wimbledon. The sixth-seeded American was sent crashing on American Independence Day 6-3 6-3 by the tough German veteran Laura Siegmund as she became the fifth of the top-six seeds, and sixth out of the top-10, to be sent spinning out of the event on Friday. Keys had been out to become the first player since Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, to pull off the AO-Wimbledon double but the world No.104 Siegemund, playing some of her best tennis at 37, was in inspired mood in the sunshine on No.2 Court. She outplayed the big-hitting American and even when getting nervous with the winning line in sight, held her nerve. "If you don't have nerves, then you're probably dead!" she joked with the crowd afterwards. "I only play for myself, I don't feel like I need to prove anything any more - my boyfriend tells me that," beamed Siegemund, now the oldest player left in the women's draw. "It's important to remember the core of why you are doing this. I'm playing for me and I don't feel pressure this way." She'll next play Solana Sierra, who became the first woman 'lucky loser' to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, beating Spain's Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1. How must this have made Australian Talia Gibson feel? She had knocked out Sierra out in the final match of qualifying, only to get knocked out in the first round herself. Meanwhile, her Argentine victim Sierra got a reprieve and was brought into the draw as a 'lucky loser' and has since won three matches, knocking out another Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round and Alex de Minaur's British fiancee Katie Boulter in the second. Earlier, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka's hope of finally getting to the last-16 of a slam that's she's never mastered fell short as she surrendered a one-set lead to go down 3-6 6-4 6-4 to former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The former world No.1, who's been a two-time champion at both the US Open and Australian Open, hadn't been in the last-32 for seven years She looked set to claim a small piece of personal history before failing to capitalise on two break points at 4-4 in set two and subsequently going down 3-6 6-4 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist nine years ago, will next take on the soaring Briton Sonay Kartal, who had the home crowd cheering on No.1 Court as she defeated French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4 6-2 to make the last-16 of a grand slam for the first time in her career. The 23-year-old Kartal, ranked 298 this time last year, will now break into the top 50 and could even finish the tournament as British No.1, ahead of the Emma Raducanu and Boulter. American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova at least avoided the cull of seeds, as she beat Hungary's Dalma Galfi 6-3 5-7 6-3.
The Advertiser
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Keys open to rare double but Sabalenka lies in wait
Madison Keys' Australian Open victory in January was hailed as a breakthrough success for a player who had long been touted for a grand slam triumph but never realised it. At 30, the American is young enough to build on that win, but not so young that she can take her time, and she wasted little in beating Olga Danilovic 6-4 6-2 to reach the Wimbledon third round on day three of the championships. The 37th-ranked Danilovic battled hard, saving five break points in one game in Wednesday's second set, but Keys always looked in control. After declaring the record-breaking opening day heat "quite toasty" the Florida resident said of the cooler conditions: "I definitely felt a little more comfortable today, it's the cloudy, rainy England we know and love so I felt a little more normal." Keys is seeking to emulate her teenage inspiration, Serena Williams, in achieving the relatively rare AO-Wimbledon double. Williams did this four times, but only three other players have won both events in the same calendar year since the Australian Open moved from grass to hard courts in 1988. Of those only Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, has done so in the 21st century. Steffi Graf (1988 & 1989) and Martina Hingis (1997) are the others while most recently Ash Barty held both titles but won Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2022. With three of the top five seeds eliminated on Tuesday Keys is a serious contender, though Aryna Sabalenka, the woman she defeated at Melbourne Park, lies on the horizon. The pair are slated to meet in the quarter-finals after the No.1 seed beat Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 on Centre Court. Sabalenka looked at risk of a shock herself after her 48th-ranked French opponent broke her to serve for the first set at 6-5. But Sabalenka broke back, took the tiebreak, and was never threatened again. Two more seeds were evicted, Paris Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic and former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez. Vekic, seeded 22 and a semi-finalist here last year, went down 6-1 6-3 to Spain's Cristina Busca while Canadian 29th-seed Fernandez was beaten by German Laura Siegemund 6-2 6-3. Elsewhere rising Brit Sonay Kartal beat Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova 6-2 6-2, Madison Keys' Australian Open victory in January was hailed as a breakthrough success for a player who had long been touted for a grand slam triumph but never realised it. At 30, the American is young enough to build on that win, but not so young that she can take her time, and she wasted little in beating Olga Danilovic 6-4 6-2 to reach the Wimbledon third round on day three of the championships. The 37th-ranked Danilovic battled hard, saving five break points in one game in Wednesday's second set, but Keys always looked in control. After declaring the record-breaking opening day heat "quite toasty" the Florida resident said of the cooler conditions: "I definitely felt a little more comfortable today, it's the cloudy, rainy England we know and love so I felt a little more normal." Keys is seeking to emulate her teenage inspiration, Serena Williams, in achieving the relatively rare AO-Wimbledon double. Williams did this four times, but only three other players have won both events in the same calendar year since the Australian Open moved from grass to hard courts in 1988. Of those only Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, has done so in the 21st century. Steffi Graf (1988 & 1989) and Martina Hingis (1997) are the others while most recently Ash Barty held both titles but won Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2022. With three of the top five seeds eliminated on Tuesday Keys is a serious contender, though Aryna Sabalenka, the woman she defeated at Melbourne Park, lies on the horizon. The pair are slated to meet in the quarter-finals after the No.1 seed beat Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 on Centre Court. Sabalenka looked at risk of a shock herself after her 48th-ranked French opponent broke her to serve for the first set at 6-5. But Sabalenka broke back, took the tiebreak, and was never threatened again. Two more seeds were evicted, Paris Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic and former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez. Vekic, seeded 22 and a semi-finalist here last year, went down 6-1 6-3 to Spain's Cristina Busca while Canadian 29th-seed Fernandez was beaten by German Laura Siegemund 6-2 6-3. Elsewhere rising Brit Sonay Kartal beat Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova 6-2 6-2, Madison Keys' Australian Open victory in January was hailed as a breakthrough success for a player who had long been touted for a grand slam triumph but never realised it. At 30, the American is young enough to build on that win, but not so young that she can take her time, and she wasted little in beating Olga Danilovic 6-4 6-2 to reach the Wimbledon third round on day three of the championships. The 37th-ranked Danilovic battled hard, saving five break points in one game in Wednesday's second set, but Keys always looked in control. After declaring the record-breaking opening day heat "quite toasty" the Florida resident said of the cooler conditions: "I definitely felt a little more comfortable today, it's the cloudy, rainy England we know and love so I felt a little more normal." Keys is seeking to emulate her teenage inspiration, Serena Williams, in achieving the relatively rare AO-Wimbledon double. Williams did this four times, but only three other players have won both events in the same calendar year since the Australian Open moved from grass to hard courts in 1988. Of those only Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, has done so in the 21st century. Steffi Graf (1988 & 1989) and Martina Hingis (1997) are the others while most recently Ash Barty held both titles but won Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2022. With three of the top five seeds eliminated on Tuesday Keys is a serious contender, though Aryna Sabalenka, the woman she defeated at Melbourne Park, lies on the horizon. The pair are slated to meet in the quarter-finals after the No.1 seed beat Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 on Centre Court. Sabalenka looked at risk of a shock herself after her 48th-ranked French opponent broke her to serve for the first set at 6-5. But Sabalenka broke back, took the tiebreak, and was never threatened again. Two more seeds were evicted, Paris Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic and former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez. Vekic, seeded 22 and a semi-finalist here last year, went down 6-1 6-3 to Spain's Cristina Busca while Canadian 29th-seed Fernandez was beaten by German Laura Siegemund 6-2 6-3. Elsewhere rising Brit Sonay Kartal beat Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova 6-2 6-2, Madison Keys' Australian Open victory in January was hailed as a breakthrough success for a player who had long been touted for a grand slam triumph but never realised it. At 30, the American is young enough to build on that win, but not so young that she can take her time, and she wasted little in beating Olga Danilovic 6-4 6-2 to reach the Wimbledon third round on day three of the championships. The 37th-ranked Danilovic battled hard, saving five break points in one game in Wednesday's second set, but Keys always looked in control. After declaring the record-breaking opening day heat "quite toasty" the Florida resident said of the cooler conditions: "I definitely felt a little more comfortable today, it's the cloudy, rainy England we know and love so I felt a little more normal." Keys is seeking to emulate her teenage inspiration, Serena Williams, in achieving the relatively rare AO-Wimbledon double. Williams did this four times, but only three other players have won both events in the same calendar year since the Australian Open moved from grass to hard courts in 1988. Of those only Amelie Mauresmo, in 2006, has done so in the 21st century. Steffi Graf (1988 & 1989) and Martina Hingis (1997) are the others while most recently Ash Barty held both titles but won Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2022. With three of the top five seeds eliminated on Tuesday Keys is a serious contender, though Aryna Sabalenka, the woman she defeated at Melbourne Park, lies on the horizon. The pair are slated to meet in the quarter-finals after the No.1 seed beat Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 on Centre Court. Sabalenka looked at risk of a shock herself after her 48th-ranked French opponent broke her to serve for the first set at 6-5. But Sabalenka broke back, took the tiebreak, and was never threatened again. Two more seeds were evicted, Paris Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic and former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez. Vekic, seeded 22 and a semi-finalist here last year, went down 6-1 6-3 to Spain's Cristina Busca while Canadian 29th-seed Fernandez was beaten by German Laura Siegemund 6-2 6-3. Elsewhere rising Brit Sonay Kartal beat Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova 6-2 6-2,
Gulf Today
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Australian Open champion Keys and Badosa return to top 10 rankings
Madison Keys' breakthrough at the 2025 Australian Open cemented her place among the sport's elite. With consecutive wins over World No.2 Iga Swiatek and World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, she captured her first Grand Slam title. Her run sparked a surge in the PIF WTA Rankings, where she jumped seven spots from No.14 to No.7. It's her first time back in the Top 10 since January 2023, equaling the career-high she set in October 2016. Ahead of making crucial changes to her racquet and service motion, Keys was asked by husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo whether she was content to be a 'No.11 to No.25' player. Despite over a decade of high-level accomplishments -- the Australian Open marked Keys' 10th career title, all but one at WTA 500 level or above, and her seventh major semi-final -- her ranking has rarely matched her peak form. Keys first cracked the top 10 in June 2016 and mostly remained there until April 2017. But between that month and this week, she spent just seven weeks in total inside the Top 10. Now, Keys is on a 12-match winning streak -- the longest of her career -- and has the opportunity to bolster those numbers over the coming months. Eight months ago, Paula Badosa was ranked No.140 and struggling to regain form following a back injury that sidelined her for the second half of 2023. But consistently strong performances earned her the Comeback Player of the Year award at the end of 2024, and after two previous quarterfinal losses, she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal last week at the Australian Open. The former No.2 climbs two places to No.10, returning to the Top 10 for the first time since October 2022. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in 2011. Fourteen years later, she's still got it. The 33-year-old made her ninth major quarter-final, and fourth at the Australian Open, last week, and jumps nine places to No.23. Meanwhile, world number one Jannik Sinner will not defend his ATP 500 title in Rotterdam as the Italian's 'body needs time to rest' after winning the Australian Open, tournament organisers announced on Monday.
