WIMBLEDON — Laura Siegemund lost in Grand Slam qualifying the first 10 times she tried. When she put together three qualifying wins for the first time, 10 years ago here at Wimbledon, she lost in the first round.
In the intervening decade, the stoic German managed to win only two matches at the All England Club. But this year — at the age of 37, the second oldest woman in the starting field — has been completely different. On Friday, she defeated No. 6 seed Madison Keys 6-3 6-3 to advance to the fourth round. Those three match-wins in five days surpassed her career total here.
Keys, the Australian Open champion, had won 13 of her 14 Grand Slam matches this year. Aryna Sabalenka — still yet to play on Friday — is the only Top 10 seed left in the top half of the draw.
Next up for the No. 104-ranked Siegemund is another surprising second-week visitor. Lucky loser Solana Sierra has improbably put together three main-draw victories of her own — the first three of her Grand Slam career. The 21-year-old Argentine defeated Cristina Bucsa 7-5, 1-6, 6-1.
Like gum on your shoe, Siegemund hangs around. Like a cold you can’t shake, she lingers and lingers until the frustration mounts. This Keys discovered on a gorgeous sunny day on Court 2. Drop shots, slices, lobs, odd short balls — they were all coming at the 30-year-old American in surreal time.
Siegemund broke Keys’ serve no fewer than three times in the opening set, but it was on the other side that the set was truly won. Siegemund came into the match as the women’s leader in that crucible of resilience, break points saved, at 89 percent. She saved three of four against Keys and coasted to the first set by a tidy margin.
When Keys broke through in the opening game of the second, it seemed the tide may have shifted. But Siegemund, playing that confounding game that took Keys out of her rhythm, came right back, She broke Keys’ twice to take a commanding lead.
Siegemund finished with a clean card — 19 winners and only 11 unforced errors. Keys, meanwhile, had 16 winners and 31 unforced errors. Siegemund broke her serve five times.
She is also a formidable doubles player, with titles at the 2020 US Open and the 2023 WTA Finals. And now Siegemund can equal her career-best result here at Wimbledon — the doubles quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024 — with a win on Sunday.
Earlier, another seeded American, No. 13 Amanda Anisimova, was victorious — 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 over Dalma Galfi. She’ll play No. 30 Linda Noskova, a 7-6 (6), 7-5 winner over Kamilla Rakhimova.
A win would send Anisimova into the quarterfinals for the second time in four years.