Going Fourth: Keys Conquers Anisimova on Wild Wimbledon Day of Upsets
Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, July 4, 2026
Photo credit: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport
Wimbledon—Madison Keys unleashed a firecracker forehand for a celebratory Fourth of July conquest.
Rocketing her forehand with raw menace, Keys defeated 2025 finalist Amanda Anisimova 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-American showdown that popped with pyrotechnic power on Centre Court.
It was Keys’ eighth straight victory and her Tour-leading 10th grass-court win of the season.
A four-time grass-court champion, Keys made a memorable Centre Court debut to power into the Wimbledon fourth round for the fourth time in the last five years.
Down a set to a compatriot for the second time in the tournament, Keys was determined to extend her Centre Court stay.
“It’s actually my first time on this court ever so after that first set I really just tried to dig deep because I didn’t want my first time to end that way,” Keys said. “At the every least I wanted to make that match competitive. I think by doing that, I was able to change the momentum.”
Anisimova, who wasn’t at her best today, teared up in her post-match press conference after a wounding defeat that saw her fighting herself at times.
“I feel like I’m doing everything I can and working really hard. So for my game to still be at this point, it’s really hard to digest and take,” Anisimova said. “It’s almost like I’m playing at a 125,000 level, not
Wimbledon. That’s what I was saying to my coaches earlier. So, yeah, I don’t know.
“For me, it wasn’t enjoyable to play out there today with my tennis being like that. It was really, really tough. And when I’m happy and I’m enjoying it, it’s when I’m able to play my tennis. But when I’m not able to make one forehand in the court, it’s really, really hard.”
The two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist Keys will face ninth-seeded Czech Linda Noskova in another big-hitting battle for a spot in the last eight on a day in which the bottom half of the ladies’ draw was blown wide open.
Reigning champion Iga Swiatek, 2022 champion and No. 2-seeded Elena Rybakina and 2025 finalist Anisimova were all bounced out of the tournament in a series of upsets.
Earlier, the 21-year-old Noskova out-dueled 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(11-9) after saving a match point while serving at 4-5 in the final set.
The flat-hitting Noskova converted her fourth match points to pull out the tiebreaker and return to the fourth round for the second year in a row. Noskova is now the highest seed still standing in the bottom half of the draw and the only Top 10 seed still alive in this volatile bottom half.
Last year, Anisimova knocked Noskova out of the fourth round and went on to contest her maiden Wimbledon final where Iga Swiatek annihilated the American in a double bagel beatdown.
Today, 21-year-old Filipina phenom Alexandra Eala dethroned defending champion Swiatek 7-6(9), 6-2 continuing her historic major march. Eala, who made history as the first player from the Philippines, male or female, to reach a Grand Slam third round, will face 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini for a quarterfinal spot. Paolini pounded Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-2.
“We are a community that uplifts each other,” Eala said of the strong support she’s received from her compatriots playing all over the world. “We’re quite positive people. When positive things happen to other Filipinos around the world, we kind of share the enjoyment and share in the happiness.”
A frustrated Swiatek wasn’t pleased by her third-round exit taking a swipe at what she called Eala’s abnormally “slow serves” for disrupting her rhythm.
“I think it was tougher mentally for me to accept these missed returns from the slow serves. I got to say it’s much tougher to return a serve like that than a normal serve,” Swiatek said. “I know it was slow. I know exactly how it’s going to come to me. It’s such a different rhythm than what I usually have a chance to return.
“The first serve, I mean, it was a good fight and I know that it’s hard, such a long set. I know that one ball here or there could change a lot. But I wanted to be present in the second set. I made some unforced errors at the beginning. Then, yeah, I felt like she was serving slower and slower, and it became tougher and tougher for me to return these serves. That, for me, was hard to accept, yeah.”
Anisimova and Keys are two of the purest ball strikers and biggest hitters on Tour and showed it from the outset.
Each woman tried to impose their strength on the opponent’s weaker wings. Anisimova’s backhand, which was clocked faster than Jannik Sinner’s backhand speed during her run to the 2025 US Open, has been called the best in the game by opponents. Keys’ forehand can be a devastating shot when she’s firing at full strength.
Today, Anismova was blasting backhands bursting through 12 of the final 16 points of the opener to build a one-set lead.
Adopting more aggressive court positioning the second set, Keys was straddling the baseline at times breaking at 15 for a 2-0 second-set lead she eventually extended to 4-1. Keys stamped a love hold for 5-2 then converted her second break point to snatch the second set and force a decider.
Two-time major finalist Anisimova struggled to control her forehand in her 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3) win over 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in round two.
The 2025 AO champion Keys blitzed Anisimova with a barrage of forehands in the decider fueling further frustration in her fellow heavy hitter.
“I’ve tried everything on the forehand—I’ve tried 20 different forehands,” a frazzled Anisimova said to herself prompting a fan to offer encouragement.
“Come on Amanda, keep going,” the fan yelled back in response.
The sixth-seeded Anisimova sent a forehand long then fell to the grass on her follow-through, rising to face a break point at 30-40.
Transition play is not always natural for Anisimova, who committed the cardinal sin of approaching crosscourt behind a backhand leaving a wide expanse of grass. Leaning low, Keys cracked a backhand pass down the line to break for a 3-1 third-set lead.
“Yeah, it’s been a really rough few months trying to find my game and obviously struggling with my forehand a lot lately,” Anisimova said. “Just something that I’m still trying to figure out. Yeah, just not easy to go out there and my level being that low.
“Yeah, a lot of things for me to figure out.”
When Anisimova shanked a framed forehand well wide, Keys consolidated at 15 for a 4-1 lead. Keys cruised through a quick hold at 15, extending her lead to 5-2.
Serving for the fourth round, Keys cranked a crosscourt forehand strike for a 30-Love lead. Anisimova dug out a low volley, but couldn’t recover the center of the court as Keys easily passed her for double match point.
Throwing down one final biting serve, Keys closed in 100 minutes.
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