While Madison Keys once again enjoyed American Independence Day in London, her compatriot Jessica Pegula will only have bad memories of the American holiday in Wimbledon.
Pegula, the number 5 seed, squandered a set lead and lost her second-round match against China’s Wang Xinyu 6-4, 6-7 (9-11), 6-1. Of the five Americans in the top 20, she is the only one who has already been eliminated from Wimbledon.
The Chinese player hit 38 winners, which, together with 33 unforced errors from Pegula, secured her first victory over a top-10 player.
She will now face Harriet Dart, who beat fellow Brit Katie Boulter, Alex de Minaur’s partner, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8). Dart was close to tears when she was 2-6 down in the breakdance, but won eight of the last ten points to knock the 32nd seed out of the tournament.
Keys, seeded 12th, made short work of China’s Wang Yafan, winning 6-2, 6-2 and moving into the last 32.
“I’ve always loved playing on the Fourth of July. I think I’ve spent more Fourths of July in London than anywhere else in the world,” said the 29-year-old from Illinois.
“It’s always fun and definitely an experience. Today, for example, I saw a group of Americans as I walked past and they all said ‘Happy Fourth.'”
The day was not quite as promising for American teenager Robin Montgomery. She had to face a formidable opponent: Tunisian number 10 Ons Jabeur, who had already reached the final twice, and lost 6-1 and 7-5.
But 11th-seeded Floridian Danielle Collins made it to the third round in her final year on tour, defeating Dalma Galfi 6-3, 6-4.
Americans Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro, also seeded in the top 20, advanced on Wednesday and could therefore spend July 4 on the practice courts.
Elsewhere, Russians Daria Kasatkina (seeded 14th) and Anna Kalinskaya (17th) celebrated easy victories, sweeping Britain’s Yuriko Miyazaki 6-0 6-0 and Czech Marie Bouzkova 6-4 6-1 respectively.
Former world number two Paula Badosa easily defeated Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the third round.