Maria took two maternity breaks from the WTA Tour and reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022, only one 12 months after the delivery of her youngest daughter.
Her message after stunning former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina within the quarter-finals was to “by no means hand over”.
She delivered that very same motto once more on Saturday after making comparatively gentle work of world quantity eight Keys.
“You all the time must hold going. You by no means can cease, [it] would not matter the way it goes,” she stated.
“I’ve had my ups and downs however I all the time hold going.
“I like to play tennis, I really like the game and we stay for these particular moments – that is why it is wonderful.”
Keys, one of many in-form gamers on the WTA Tour, has received three grass-court titles on British soil however was left pissed off by Maria’s slice-heavy fashion.
Maria instantly put Keys’ enormous serve below strain, discovering the breakthrough within the fourth recreation earlier than securing the opening set in assured fashion.
Left considerably surprised and shouting to her field, the place husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo had some phrases of encouragement, Keys appeared devoid of solutions.
However the pair might barely be separated in a decent second set, each saving break factors earlier than Maria despatched it to a tie-break.
Keys was as soon as once more left exasperated as she made a sequence of unforced errors, with an overcooked forehand gifting Maria 4 match factors.
She saved the primary however one other error, with Keys lacking a swipe on the web, handed Maria a spot in her first ultimate of the 12 months.
Maria’s two daughters usually sit courtside to observe her matches, with the German saying their presence makes her victory much more particular.
“I like to be right here with my household, my workforce. It makes it so particular that we stay this dream collectively,” she added.
