Contrasting Independence Day for US women at Wimbledon
While Madison Keys has delighted, once again, in spending US independence Day in London, her compatriot Jessica Pegula will only have bad memories of spending the American holiday at Wimbledon.
Pegula, the No.5 seed, blew a one-set lead to lose their second round tie to China's Wang Xinyu 6-4 6-7 (9-11) 6-1. Of the five Americans in the top 20 seeds she is the only one already out of Wimbledon.
The Chinese player blasted 38 winners which, combined with 33 unforced errors from Pegula, secured her first victory over a top 10 player.
She now meets Harriet Dart, who beat fellow Briton Katie Boulter, Alex de Minaur's partner, 4-6 6-1 7-6 (10-8). Dart became tearful when she fell 6-2 down in the breaker but won eight of the last 10 points to knock out the 32nd seed.
Keys, the 12th seed, made light work of China's Wang Yafan, winning 6-2 6-2 to advance to the last 32.
"I've always really loved playing during the Fourth of July. I think I've spent more Fourths of Julys in London than anywhere else in the world," the 29-year-old from Illinois said.
"It's always fun, and it's definitely an experience. Like today, walking by I saw a bunch of Americans, and they all said, 'Happy Fourth'."
The day was not as auspicious for American teenager Robin Montgomery. Facing a daunting opponent in Tunisian 10th seed Ons Jabeur, twice a finalist, she was beaten 6-1 7-5.
But 11th-seeded Floridian Danielle Collins, on her last year on the circuit, progressed to the third round defeating Dalma Galfi 6-3 6-4.
Fellow American top-20 seeds Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro progressed on Wednesday, so could spend their July 4 on the practice courts.
World No.1 Iga Swiatek won 6-4 6-3 against Croatian Petra Martic, her 21st win in a row.
Before Wimbledon the 23-year-old Pole triumphed at the Madrid and Rome Opens as well as taking the Roland Garros title.
Swiatek meets 35th-ranked Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in the next round.
"I'm kind of doing everything step by step and every match matters for me," said Swiatek, who is yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
The 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, seeded fourth, beat Germany's Laura Siegemund 6-3 3-6 6-3 while last year's semi-finalist Elina Svitolina, seeded 21st, beat Germany's Jule Niemeier to set up a third-round meeting with Jabeur.
Elsewhere Russians Daria Kasatkina (seeded 14th) and Anna Kalinskaya (17th) had easy wins, respectively dismissing Briton Yuriko Miyazaki 6-0 6-0 and Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-4 6-1. Kalinskaya meets another Russian, 15th-seed Liudmila Samsonova, who beat compatriot Elina Avanesyan 6-3 6-3.
Unusually, of the 18 top 20 women's singles seeds who began the tournament - Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka having pulled out before the start -15 remain in the draw.
