Carnage-Free Keys Says She Dodged a Bullet Already at Wimbledon

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday July 2, 2025

4 of the highest 5 seeds failed to achieve the third spherical on the ladies’s facet at Wimbledon, however No.6-seeded Madison Keys is sitting fairly and feeling like luck could also be on her facet at these Championships.

Keys, who was almost ousted in her first-round match towards Spain’s Elena Gabriela Ruse, discovered a means by means of that worrying encounter from a set down, and on Wednesday she bounced Serbia’s Olga Danilovic to achieve the third spherical at Wimbledon for the ninth time in 11 profession appearances.

She says that watching seeds scatter as they’ve over the primary three days of Wimbledon can undoubtedly be unnerving for prime gamers.

“I believe if you end up sitting and watching everybody sort of fall, it sort of provides just a little little bit of stress to the state of affairs,” she mentioned. “I used to be fairly shut in my first spherical, so I really feel like I dodged a bullet just a little bit.”

Second-seeded Coco Gauff, third-seeded Jessica Pegula, fourth-seeded Jasmine Paolini and fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen have all bowed out early, and extra might come earlier than the third spherical begins. After Paolini’s loss to Kamilla Rakhimova on Wednesday, 15 of the 32 ladies’s singles seeds had already been eradicated.

“I actually imagine upsets are contagious,” mentioned Brad Gilbert, commentating for ESPN. “You can’t assist however really feel what is going on.”

Keys believes that fatigue is enjoying an element for the highest gamers throughout this significantly gruelling a part of the season that options two majors within the span of 5 weeks.

“Truthfully, I believe everyone seems to be simply sort of drained, and the season has been lengthy already,” she mentioned. “It is arduous. It has been six months. I really feel like we have all performed quite a lot of matches. So clearly the folks which are ranked larger, in idea, have performed extra matches than others. It is a marathon, not a dash. There’s sure to be in some unspecified time in the future within the season the place folks have dips.”

However Keys, who will face 37-year-old Laura Siegemund within the third spherical on Friday, is feeling just like the worst could be behind her.

“I really feel like getting by means of that was sort of my very own private battle that I needed to sort of get by means of [was important],” she mentioned. “I really feel like as soon as I used to be ready to do this, even seeing the entire outcomes which have sort of occurred the final two days, sort of provides just a little bit to the nerves, however I really feel like for myself I sort of really feel like I already received previous it just a little bit.

“So, yeah, I really feel like now I’ve a chance to sort of play a few of my finest tennis.”