MELBOURNE: Jessica Pegula produced a commanding performance to knock out defending champion Madison Keys at the Australian Open on Monday, cruising to a 6-3 6-4 victory to book her place in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the fourth time.
Facing a close friend and podcast co-host in Rod Laver Arena, the American sixth seed made a blistering start, racing to a 3-0 lead and dictating play with aggressive, clean ball-striking. Although Keys briefly found her range, Pegula maintained control to wrap up the opening set in just 31 minutes.
Neither player had dropped a set coming into the clash, but Pegula again struck early in the second set, breaking serve in the opening game. The ninth-seeded Keys fought back with renewed intensity and managed to break Pegula at 4-1, yet the 31-year-old showed composure under pressure to close out the match.“I’ve been playing really well, seeing the ball and hi
tting it really well this whole tournament,” Pegula said after a warm embrace at the net. “When I had the lead, I tried to stick with it as much as I could.”
The victory keeps Pegula firmly on course in her bid for a first Grand Slam title.
