Clinical Pegula dumps defending champion Keys out of Australian Open

The sixth seed dominated the all-American showdown 6-3, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena to set up a clash with either United States fourth seed Amanda Anisimova or China's Wang Xinyu. Pegula, who is chasing an elusive Grand Slam title after reaching the US Open final in 2024, made three consecutive Melbourne quarters between 2021-2023. But the 31-year-old has never gone further. Beating Keys was bittersweet with the pair close off court, sharing a podcast, "The Player's Box", together with fellow Americans Desirae Krawczyk and Jennifer Brady.