Former Rock Island resident Madison Keys survived her second test at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon on Thursday, defeating Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic in a hard-fought match.
Keys, ranked 30th in the latest WTA world rankings, won the match 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 to advance to the third round of the iconic tournament for the second year in a row. The 19-year-old faces Yaroslava Shivedova of Kazakhstan in the third round Saturday.
Keys’ serves reached speeds of 123 mph as she recorded seven aces and survived 43 unforced errors, nearly twice as many as Koukalova, who was seeded 31st in the tournament but actually is two spots below Keys in the WTA ratings.
The 26-year-old Shivedova, ranked 65th in the world, advanced Thursday with a 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 win over Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. Kanepi had defeated seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic in the opening round.
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Keys is back in action today in second-round doubles action. She'll pair with fellow American Alison Riske to face the Russian duo of Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Rodionova.Â