Wimbledon 2024: Shelton, Collins, Keys among seven Americans into R4, most in 20 years
Seven Americans advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon, the best result for the USA across the pond since 2004—when Coco Gauff was only a few months old. Gauff, Danielle Collins, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton have all found their groove on the grass courts of SW19, hoping to be the first American to lift the singles trophy since Serena Williams in 2016.
Shelton survives another five-setter to set up a Sinner rematch
In his second appearance at the hallowed grounds of the All England Club, the 21 year-old Shelton has improved his best result at Wimbledon from the second round to the Round of 16 by fighting his way through three five-set matches. On Saturday, he defeated Denis Shapovalov, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, to reach the fourth round of a major for the third time. He was only broken in the last game of the fourth set, but managed to break Shapovalov five times.
Next, last year’s breakout star will go up against Jannik Sinner, world No. 1 and the reigning Australian Open champion, fresh off his title run in Halle.
The pair have met three times with Sinner leading 2-1, but never on grass courts or at a Grand Slam. However, Shelton has spent over 10 hours on court, while Sinner’s total match time is 8:23, so the former Florida Gator has the advantage of spending less time on his feet.
The No. 1 and No. 2 Americans, No. 13 seed Fritz and No. 14 seed Paul also punched their tickets into Round 4 by defeating their opponents, No. 24 seed Alejandro Tabilo and No. 23 seed Alexander Bublik, respectively, in straight sets. Next, Paul will face Roberto Bautista Agut, while Fritz will go up against Roland Garros finalist Alexander Zverev.
Collins, Keys cruise into the fourth round
In her final season, Collins is determined to make the most of her time on the court. By defeating No. 20 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia Saturday evening, 6-4, 6-4, to punch her ticket into the fourth round, she achieved her best Wimbledon result.
The match got off to a rocky start, with Collins getting broken in her first two service games, but the No. 11 seed didn’t back down, and broke Haddad Maia three times in the first set to take the lead. Collins saved four of the seven break points she faced throughout the match, while Haddad Maia only saved three of eight, which helped the American move into the second week of Wimbledon. Next, Collins will go up against No. 31 seed Barbora Krejcikova, who beat her in three sets in the San Diego semifinals last year.
Keys, a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist, beat Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 6-3, in a rematch of their third round match at Wimbledon last year. The American No. 12 seed lost serve on her first service game, but didn’t face another break point during the 82-minute match.
"I think I knew walking out there that I was going to have to play a good level because she's a great player, and her level can be incredibly high,” Keys said. “I think knowing that, I just had to really kind of from the very start be really solid and just kind of see how things played out."
Gauff defeated British qualifier Sonay Kartal, 6-4, 6-0, in just 63 minutes to advance to the fourth round in SW19 for the third time. However, her next opponent is No. 19 seed Navarro, who took down fellow NCAA alumna Diana Shnaider, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. The pair have met once, when the top American defeated the NCAA champion in the 2024 Auckland semifinals en route to her title defense.
While Gauff is favored to win, she is expecting a challenge against her compatriot and teammate for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“A lot of people think her ranking is a surprise. Just growing up with her, I always knew she was very talented and knew her game would translate well on tour. I think she has a very all-court game. Playing her is going to be a tough match,” she said of Navarro. “I'm very excited to be able to play against her and then play on the same team as her in the Olympics.”
In the second round of the women’s doubles competition, the all-American duos of Jessica Pegula and Gauff, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin, and Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk cruised to two-set victories. The No. 4-seeded team of Taylor Townsend and Czech Katerina Siniakova also moved into the third round. There’s a potential for a Stars and Stripes showdown in the quarterfinals if Gauff and Pegula and Mattek-Sands and Kenin defeat their third-round opponents on Monday.
The start of the fourth round is slated for Sunday at the All England Club. For the complete order of play, draws and more, visit the official Wimbledon website.
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