Jessica Pegula delivered a composed and ruthless performance at the Australian Open on Monday, knocking out defending champion and close friend Madison Keys to book her place in the quarter-finals. In an all-American showdown on Rod Laver Arena, the sixth seed controlled the match from start to finish, sealing a 6-3, 6-4 victory and underlining her growing confidence in Melbourne.
The win sends Pegula into the last eight, where she will face either fourth-seeded compatriot Amanda Anisimova or China’s Wang Xinyu. Still in pursuit of her first Grand Slam title after finishing runner-up at the US Open in 2024, Pegula has now reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for the fourth time, having previously done so between 2021 and 2023. However, the 31-year-old has yet to break through to the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
The victory came with mixed emotions, as Pegula and Keys share a close bond off the court. The pair co-host a podcast, The Player’s Box, alongside fellow Americans Desirae Krawczyk and Jennifer Brady. Despite the friendship, Pegula remained focused, while Keys struggled to find rhythm throughout the contest.
Keys, who captured her maiden Grand Slam title last year by stunning Aryna Sabalenka in the final, looked tense and unusually error-prone. She committed 27 unforced errors compared to Pegula’s 17 and was undone by six double faults at critical moments.
“I’ve been playing really well, seeing the ball, hitting the ball really well this whole tournament,” said Pegula, who has dropped just 17 games in her four matches so far.
“And I wanted to kind of stay true to that, and then just lean on a couple things that I felt like she would do, and I felt like I came out kind of doing it pretty well. I really had to focus on where I was serving, and be smart and kind of take some risks on some second serves, change up the pace as much as I could,” she added.
Pegula made her intentions clear early, opening the match with a confident service game before earning a crucial break for a 2-0 lead when Keys pushed a forehand into the net. She tightened her grip on the opening set by dictating rallies, leaving Keys with just three points across three consecutive games.
Although Keys briefly lifted her level to hold serve, her game continued to swing between flashes of brilliance and costly mistakes. A clean-hitting return game gave her a break back and renewed hope, but further serving struggles allowed Pegula to break again and close out the set.
The second set saw both players momentarily distracted by an air show above Melbourne Park celebrating Australia Day. Any momentum Keys hoped to build quickly vanished as three double faults in her opening service game handed Pegula an immediate advantage.
Keys attempted a late resurgence, but the defending champion could not stem the flow. Calm and precise, Pegula maintained control to seal the match and emphatically end Keys’ title defence, marching confidently into the quarter-finals.
