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Wimbledon 2018: Madison Keys Upset, Alexander Zverev Advances
July 6, 2018
Alexander Zverev needed all five sets to beat Taylor Fritz into the third round at Wimbledon 2018 but took two quick sets after play resumed on Friday to advance with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (0), 6-1, 6-2 victory.
The fourth seed had a tougher time against Fritz than eighth seed Kevin Anderson did against Philipp Kohlschreiber, with the German served into straight-sets submission 6-3, 7-5, 7-5.
The women's competition suffered another big upset, meanwhile, when No. 10 seed Madison Keys suffered a 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 beating at the hands of world No. 120 Evgeniya Rodina.
Rodina moved into the fourth round and is joined by Russian compatriot Ekaterina Makarova and Camila Giorgi, who will face off after beating Lucie Safarova and Katerina Siniakova, respectively, on Friday.
Read on for a breakdown of Friday's results, complete with highlights of the day's best action.
Friday's Results
Men's Singles
(8) Kevin Anderson bt. (25) Philipp Kohlschreiber: 6-3, 7-5, 7-5
(4) Alexander Zverev bt. Taylor Fritz: 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (0), 6-1, 6-2
Women's Singles
Evgeniya Rodina bt. (10) Madison Keys: 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
Ekaterina Makarova bt. Lucie Safarova: 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
Camila Giorgi bt. Katerina Siniakova: 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2
Visit the Wimbledon website for results in full.
Recap
Not for the first time in recent Gland Slam history, Zverev had to come back from a set deficit to keep his quest going on Friday. In fact, tennis writer Ben Rothenberg wrote it was the fourth time in his last five wins at a major that he had to play the maximum five sets.
But with some overnight coaching and a settling of the nerves, Zverev returned to lose only three games in the remaining two sets and left Fritz stranded on a serve too hot to handle, via Wimbledon's Twitter account:
Encouraging though it is to see the 21-year-old's mental strength, it's impossible to ignore the fact Zverev has shown in recent times he could do with being more efficient, using up more energy in the second round.
Anderson was the first men's player to advance into the third round after he handled Zverev's compatriot Kohlschreiber in straight sets, per ESPN UK's Robert Bartlett:
Robert Bartlett @RobBartlettESPNNo. 8 seed Kevin Anderson is through to Round 4 at Wimbledon for the fourth time in five years. The big-serving South African dispatched No. 25 Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 on Court No. 2 to set up a clash with either Sam Querrey or Gael Monfils. https://t.co/dTZNvVWzg8
The South African thundered in 22 aces to Kohlschreiber's five and won with 87 per cent of his first-service points, a performance that was ultimately too tight for the German to overcome.
Only three of the top 10 women's seeds remain in the Wimbledon running after Keys succumbed to Rodina 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, where the 23-year-old lost a 5-2 lead in the first set.
The Russian swung a five-game streak to go ahead before coming out on the winning side of a scrappy last set, where there were breaks in four of the last five games:
Writer Chris Goldsmith noted the loss of another American talent, while Rodina is through to the fourth round of a major for the first time in her career:
The three-set duels continued when Czech star Safarova lost a one-set lead to Makarova, who came back to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and set up a meeting with Giorgi.
Italy's last remaining entrant in the women's competition suffered an early setback herself against Katerina Siniakova, but broke her foe twice in succession in the third set to emerge a 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2 victor.