Jessica Pegula knocked out defending champion Madison Keys at the Australian Open on Monday as the American sixth seed secured a dominant 6-3 6-4 victory to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the fourth time.
Facing a close friend with whom she hosts ‘The Player’s Box’ podcast along with fellow American players Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk, Pegula made a blistering start at Rod Laver Arena and only briefly let the momentum slip early in the match to remain on course for a first major title.
Pegula was also driven by extra motivation in her fourth-round win – avoiding wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey.
The pair agreed that the winner of the clash would get to choose a forfeit for the loser and, had Keys won, Pegula, whose parents own the Buffalo Bills, would have had to don a Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift Chiefs jersey.
“That was bad,” said Pegula. “She was, like, ‘mine’s worse.’ I was, like, ‘What are you talking about? My family owns the Bills. This team has owned us in the post-season’.
“All she has to do is eat a piece of pie. What is the big deal? I think that was really some extra motivation, because that would have been a tough moment for me.”
The pie in question is the Pegula family’s Thanksgiving tradition of apple pie with melted cheddar cheese on top.
“A bet is a bet, so I’ll do it,” said Keys. “I hope it’s less gross than I think it’s going to be, but we will find out, I guess.”
Keys had won their only previous Grand Slam meeting comfortably but the 30-year-old has been searching for her best form since winning her maiden major title here 12 months ago and was outplayed by Pegula.
Neither player had dropped a set in their opening three matches and it was an aggressive Pegula who breezed to a 3-0 lead and then swapped breaks with Keys, before taking the opening frame in only 31 minutes.
Keys came out swinging in the second set but was broken in the opening game, and while the 31-year-old Pegula surrendered her own serve at 4-1 she was able to withstand the mounting pressure to seal the win.
Keys made 28 unforced errors with six double faults in the contest, and Pegula said the key to the victory was her own variations on serve as well as a bit of fortune.
Despite her disappointment, Keys reflected positively on the tournament, saying: “It’s obviously not the way that I wanted things to end here, but I’m still really proud of myself.
“I think coming back, being defending champion, dealing with all of the extra pressure and nerves, I’m just really proud of myself for how I handled it.
“Just one of those days where I feel like Jess beat me, and I can kind of walk away with my head held high.”
Keys and her podcast crew will now be supporting Pegula, with the 31-year-old through to a fourth quarter-final in Melbourne and looking to go further for the first time.
“I’m not going to say anything, because the last time we told Jess that she was going to do well, she didn’t do well, so she told us that we’re all banned from saying anything,” said Keys.
“I don’t think she needs any sort of pep talk from me. I think she’s very sure of her game and how she’s playing. We’ll just be cheering her on.”
Pegula to face Anisimova next
Amanda Anisimova, a finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, booked a spot in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time
Pegula is yet to drop a set and could not be happier with her form, saying: “I have always been the type of player where I get frustrated when I feel like I’m not getting better.
“I’ve already had a lot of really great results. Being 31, I still feel like I’m improving as a player. So that is what gets me the most excited.”
Fourth seed Amanda Anisimova maintained her Grand Slam momentum by beating Chinese dark horse Wang Xinyu 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to reach her first Australian Open quarter-final, where she will face fellow American Pegula.
The hard-hitting 24-year-old has been in imperious form at Melbourne Park this year and has not dropped a set as she bids for a first major title after runner-up finishes at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2025.
“I’m feeling great, what a battle,” Anisimova said.
Rybakina and Swiatek set up blockbuster quarter-final
Iga Swiatek demolished Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis for the loss of three games
Fifth seed Elena Rybakina is through to her first Grand Slam quarter-final since Wimbledon 2024 after thumping Elise Mertens 6-1 6-3.
She next faces a powerhouse clash with second seed Iga Swiatek, who ended Australian hopes in the women’s singles with a 6-0 6-3 victory over qualifier Maddison Inglis.
Swiatek, who needed three sets to beat Russian Anna Kalinskaya in the previous round, produced a strong performance to defeat Inglis, firing off 22 winners.
“I felt pretty confident from the beginning. It felt like the pace of the ball was lot different from my last round. So I needed to adjust with my legs and really be precise with the footwork,” the Polish world No 2 said.
Swiatek whitewashed Inglis in the opening set, with her powerful baseline returns and movement proving too much for the Australian to handle.
Inglis managed to break Swiatek’s serve in the opening game of the second set, raising her arms in celebration to raucous cheers from Australian spectators at Rod Laver Arena.
However, the joy was short-lived.
Swiatek ratcheted up the intensity and, though Inglis was able to hold serve twice to add respectability to the scoreline, the six-times Grand Slam champion wrapped up the win in 73 minutes.
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