Pegula ends Keys’ Australian Open title defense in the fourth round

Madison Keys captured her first—and so far only—Grand Slam title last year at the Australian Open, but her run in Melbourne this season ended in the fourth round, where she fell to fellow American and close friend Jessica Pegula, 6-3 6-4.

The sixth-seeded Pegula broke serve four times and neutralized her opponent’s biggest weapons. Pegula consistently applied pressure from the return, putting more than 70 percent of Keys’ serves back in play, while keeping her own error count low with just 13 unforced mistakes against 14 winners. In contrast, Keys’ aggressive approach—highlighted by 26 winners, 12 more than Pegula—was ultimately offset by 28 unforced errors, allowing Pegula to race to a 6–3 4–1 lead on Rod Laver Arena and close out the match without looking back.

The ninth-seeded Keys, who defeated Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s final at Melbourne Park, remained upbeat after her exit, saying she was “still really proud” of her efforts despite falling short in her title defense.

Pegula now moves on to an all-American quarterfinal clash against Amanda Anisimova, who later on Monday overcame China’s Wang Xinyu. With Coco Gauff and Iva Jovic also safely through to the last eight, the United States has placed four players in the women’s singles quarterfinals at the Australian Open for the first time since 2001.