Linda Noskova overcomes Madison Keys to book spot in first Wimbledon quarter-final

[p]Eager to ‌follow in the footsteps of her champion compatriots [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kvitova-petra/0vypNf1t/"]Petra ‌Kvitova[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vondrousova-marketa/EgKYrSR5/"]Marketa Vondrousova[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/krejcikova-barbora/2FyACZYi/"]Barbora Krejcikova[/a], the 21-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noskova-linda/zHMiAkw6/"]Noskova[/a] ‌showed her growing maturity on grass [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/keys-m-QwU996PK/noskova-l-zHMiAkw6/?mid=lpKbxL6M"]to reach the last eight of the grasscourt major for the first time[/a].[/p][p]Noskova displayed ‌the skills she had developed under ⁠the watchful eye of ‌Martina Hingis' mother, Melanie Molitor, from the age of 3 ​to 19, to save both break points she faced early on before pouncing on her ​only opportunity in the 10th game to secure the opening set.[/p][p]Playing on a sparsely filled Court One, with ⁠many fans opting ​to escape the blazing sun, American 26th seed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/keys-madison/QwU996PK/"]Keys[/a] struggled to rediscover the touch that had left 2025 runner-up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/anisimova-amanda/nwkutKbi/"]Amanda Anisimova[/a] chasing shadows in the previous round.[/p][embed guid="797c6a08-0502-43cf-ab9a-5738bdddbcfa" url="https://x.com/Wimbledon/status/2074178595677687959" social-type="twitter" /][p]Just when ‌Noskova threatened to blow away Keys in the second by surging to a 3-0 lead, the Czech's serve started misfiring uncontrollably. She delivered four double faults to get broken in the fifth game, allowing the 2025 Australian Open champion to fight back to 3-3 and drag the set into a tiebreak.[/p][p]However, ninth seed Noskova was not to be denied and she ‌produced a dropshot winner on her first match point ​to seal a last-eight showdown with Belgian 25th ‌seed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mertens-elise/Y1ZrrUtl/"]Elise Mertens[/a].[/p][h2]Keys rues missed opportunites[/h2][p]"[b]It's obviously very special for me to play even ‌on such a court. I played a match (here on Court One) last year, it was not as happy ending as this one[/b]," said Noskova, who warmed up for Wimbledon by winning both the singles and doubles titles in Berlin.[/p][p]"[b]I'm very glad I got through this one because Madison's a really, really tough player. Incredible serve. So I'm glad I survived some of her serves to get through them[/b]."[/p][p]While Noskova joins fellow Czech [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muchova-karolina/Or4Qa1ye/"]Karolina Muchova[/a] in the quarters as the country looks to claim the Venus Rosewater Dish for the third time in four years, the defeat ‌snapped Keys' eight-match winning streak on grass following her success in Eastbourne last ​month.[/p][p]"[b]I had opportunities early in the first set to break, and I didn't ‌even get the point started. That's pretty frustrating[/b]," Keys said after her hopes of becoming the first American to triumph at Wimbledon since [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/williams-serena/ttsu68nH/"]Serena Williams[/a] won the last of her seven titles in 2016 were dashed.[/p][p]"[b]She's constantly dictating, and you feel like she's trying to take time away from you. ⁠Then she also has the variety. So ⁠she has a little bit of ‌everything that makes her really dangerous, especially on this surface[/b]."[/p][infobox id="e4d8200d-597f-48d7-83c2-d394f1217426" /]