Jessica Pegula

MELBOURNE, Australia — Defending champion Madison Keys has been knocked out of the Australian Open by fellow American, and podcast pal, Jessica Pegula.

Pegula, seeded sixth, defeated the ninth-seeded Keys 6-3, 6-4 on Monday at Rod Laver Arena to reach the quarterfinals for the fourth time in Australia.

Pegula raced to a 4-1 lead in the first set and took it in 32 minutes. She then broke to open the second set and again surged to a 4-1 lead as Keys struggled on serve. The match ended when Keys hit a forehand into the net.