Australian Open champion Madison Keys has been eliminated from Wimbledon, with the American sixth seed suffering a surprising 6-3, 6-3 loss to Germany’s world number 104, Laura Siegemund, in the third round on Friday.
The 30-year-old Keys is now the fifth player among the top six women’s seeds to exit the tournament unexpectedly.
Earlier upsets included Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, and Zheng Qinwen, though world number one Aryna Sabalenka remains in contention.
Keys, who defeated Sabalenka for her first Grand Slam title in Melbourne earlier this year, has consistently struggled at Wimbledon, never advancing past the quarter-finals in 11 attempts. Her performance against Siegemund was marred by 31 unforced errors.
For Siegemund, 37, this marks her first-ever trip to the Wimbledon last 16. She is currently the oldest player remaining in the women’s draw, with her previous best Grand Slam singles result being a quarterfinal appearance at the 2020 French Open.
“When you beat a great player like Madison, you have to be happy,” Siegemund said, adding, “I managed to keep my nerve in the end. If you don’t have nerves in this moment, you are probably dead.”
