All systems are go for Madison Keys at Wimbledon! The No. 6 seed is advancing smoothly in a tournament already rocked by upsets, with 23 seeds—including No. 2 Coco Gauff and No. 3 Jessica Pegula—bowing out in the first two days, earning the nickname ‘The Day Of Upsets.’ Keys started strong with a thrilling comeback in Round 1 against Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse, rallying from a set down to move forward. Despite the punishing heat wave in London, she overcame the challenges and now doesn’t seem fazed by the rain either.

On Wednesday, the 30-year-old delivered a commanding performance against Olga Danilovic. The match was fairly even in stats—Keys hit 19 winners to Danilovic’s 15, with Danilovic making slightly more unforced errors. But Keys’ steady play meant she never looked threatened. She wrapped up the second-round match in just 75 minutes with a straight-sets 6-4, 6-2 win.

In her post-match interview, Madison Keys shared a cheeky detail: “I definitely felt a bit more comfortable today. It’s the cloudy, rainy England that we know and love. So that helped a lot.” After the scorching conditions of the first two days, the second round began under more familiar skies—cloudy, cooler, and with a two-hour rain delay due to persistent drizzle. This suited Keys perfectly, though it was tough luck for her fellow Americans who battled the sweltering sun.

Tuesday was Wimbledon’s hottest day ever, with temperatures soaring past 34°C. World No. 2 Coco Gauff, fresh off her French Open win, fell to Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 7-6(3), 6-1, struggling with her serve and unforced errors on grass. Her compatriot, third-seeded Jessica Pegula, fresh from a grass-court warm-up title in Bad Homburg, was also ousted in straight sets by Elisabetta Cocciaretto, losing 6-2, 6-3. Could the lack of grass-court experience in the U.S. have played a role?

But Madison Keys showed no signs of struggle today. She boasts an impressive career grass-court record of 52-18 (.742 win percentage), the third highest among active women with at least 15 matches. Only Venus Williams (98-26, .790) and Petra Kvitova (74-25, .747) have better records.

Keys now aims for a rare achievement: to become the first woman since Serena Williams to win both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in the same season. Could she go deep this time around? She’s made it as far as the quarterfinals in 2015 and 2023. But some former pros are backing her bid!

Ex-pros in favor of Madison Keys at Wimbledon

Before Wimbledon kicked off, Andy Roddick lit up the “Served” podcast with his bold WTA predictions, unveiling what he called “Andy’s WTA Bracket.” He zoomed in on the half featuring Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champ, alongside Amanda Anisimova, Linda Nosková, Diana Shnaider, and Elina Svitolina. Roddick admitted, “I got Amanda Anisimova to the semis up top. I don’t like—I hate my picks,” before overlooking his fellow Americans and declaring, “I got Sabalenka in the final over Anisimova in the semis.”

He didn’t hold back on the chaos of the draw, joking, “This could be the least confident I’ve ever been in any half of any draw that we’ve ever done. This is a disaster. Close up, let me look, my draw is a dumpster fire.” Still, he powered through, naming players he believed in: “I got Linda Nosková, Anisimova—Anisimova through. Diana Shnaider, Kateřina Siniaková—Shnaider is going through. Anisimova over Shnaider. Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina, Donna Vekić, Keys, Saba—Keys, Saba through to the final.” So far, all his picks have made it to Round 2!

Adding to the buzz, former USTA president Katrina Adams shared her thoughts with CBC Sports on how the slippery grass courts at SW19 can be both a challenge and an advantage. “First of all, we have four women in the Top 10. So that’s a good start,” Adams praised Coco, Jessica, and Madison for their strong grass-court styles. However, the No.2 and No.3 are out, leaving her hopes now rest on Madison!

But she added, “Madison Keys, with her big serve, moves well. She always had great results on grass, but she has also been injured on the grass. So, let’s hope she gets through this year and stays healthy.” And by the looks of it, the 30-year-old won’t back down anytime soon!

What do you think? Could Madison Keys be the new queen of grass? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Meanwhile, stay tuned and follow the Championships live with EssentiallySports’ real-time blog updates for all the latest action and drama.