WIMBLEDON — Four Top 10 seeds had exited Wimbledon at the first hurdle, and Madison Keys had only just avoided joining the exodus. Two days after pulling through a 2-hour, 41-minute rollercoaster against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, the No. 6 seed was far more efficient in dismissing Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2 in 75 minutes.
Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draws
In contrast to the baking conditions of the first two days, second-round action began in a more familiar scenario: clouds, cooler temperatures and a two-hour rain delay owing to persistent drizzle. This suited Keys down to the ground.
“I definitely felt a little more comfortable today,” she said in her on-court interview. “It’s the cloudy, rainy England we know and love, so that helps a lot. It felt a little bit more normal out here today.”
Danilovic has been one of the most improved players of the past 12 months, raising her ranking from No. 150 last July to No. 37 this week. But the Serb’s surge has mostly been down to her results on clay and hard courts — her first-round defeat of qualifier Zhang Shuai was her first tour-level win on the surface.
By contrast, Keys is a three-time grass-court titlist and a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist (2015 and 2023), and used her wealth of expertise on the surface to pull away after a tight first set.
More to come…