London [UK], July 10 : The No.25 seed Madison Keys scripted a stunning comeback from a set and a breakdown to destroy 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva's dream run at Wimbledon in the fourth round.
The American advanced to her ninth major quarterfinal with a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 victory over Andreeva in a match that lasted for two hours and 2 minutes.
To advance to her first Wimbledon semifinal, Keys will next play either No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka or No. 21 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Keys seems to be doing the same thing for two games. But Andreeva would come back from 2-0 down in the first set to win 10 of the following 12 games with mesmerising, strategic tennis. Keys was kept off-balance by a string of expertly crafted points, which also demolished the American's strategy. Andreeva's passing shots were quite disruptive, especially when combined with her drop shot; she broke for 4-3 in the first set and held for a 4-1 lead in the second.
Keys faced a break point with a 5-1 deficit in the second set and was on the verge of being eliminated due to her erratic play and increasing error total. Her bullet of a backhand winner, however, managed to stop that.
The US Open finalist from 2017 discovered an even more remarkable piece of wizardry to break back a game later. Keys appeared to have been outwitted by a quick Andreeva backhand angle in the middle of the court, but she not only caught up to it but also answered with a left-handed angled winner of her own.
Keys took over from there, especially in regard to important issues. At 6-3, 4-1, Andreeva had converted four of eight break points while Keys had only taken one of five. However, Keys saved each of her three break points in the third set to thwart an Andreeva comeback.
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