Jessica Pegula, currently ranked No. 6 in the world, showcased her dominance by defeating Madison Keys, last year’s champion, in a straight-set match at the Australian Open, propelling herself into the quarter-finals. The encounter, which marked the first all-American fourth-round meeting at this tournament in six years, concluded with a score of 6-3, 6-4 after just 78 minutes of play on Rod Laver Arena.
With this victory, Pegula is set to face Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals, following Anisimova’s hard-fought win over Wang Xinyu of China, which also took place on Monday. Pegula expressed her enthusiasm for the state of American women’s tennis, stating, “At least one of us will get through, and I think that’s great for American tennis. It’s been pretty crazy how well the women have been doing, and how many top-ranked players we have.”
Pegula tapped into her impressive form, hitting her spots accurately and managing to mix the pace effectively against Keys. “I had to really trust that I was able to change speeds and hit my marks on my serves,” she noted after the match. This victory was particularly significant for Pegula, who had lost to Keys in the final of the 2025 Adelaide International, and had been seeking to turn the tide in their head-to-head encounters, which now stands at 2-2.
While Pegula enjoyed a strong start by breaking Keys in the latter’s opening service game, Keys displayed resilience but struggled with unforced errors throughout the match. She ended the contest with 28 unforced mistakes compared to Pegula’s 13, leading to her defeat despite registering 26 winners. Pegula’s tactical play was instrumental, as she effectively neutralized Keys’ powerful shots and maintained a commanding presence throughout.
Keys reflected on her performance, acknowledging Pegula’s composure and consistency. “I think she did a really good job from the start of dictating,” Keys said, adding that she was proud of how she handled the pressure of being the defending champion.
In the second quarter-final of the day, Anisimova triumphed over Wang Xinyu with a scoreline of 7-6(4), 6-4, securing her spot in her first Australian Open quarter-final. Anisimova’s victory came after a tense first set that was decided in a tiebreak, and a second set where she established a crucial break early on, despite needing medical attention from Wang during the match.
Wang, who had previously eliminated two seeded players, struggled to maintain her form against an increasingly confident Anisimova, who admitted afterward that she had never faced Wang before and praised her opponent’s game. The 4th seed Anisimova will now face Pegula, as they look to advance deeper into the tournament.
Anisimova, who has reached the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams in her career thus far, carries a 0-3 record against Pegula into their upcoming match. “We’ve always had some great matches. I really like her game,” Anisimova remarked ahead of their clash.
As the tournament progresses, the stage is set for an exciting quarter-final showdown between Pegula and Anisimova, both of whom are keen to continue their successful runs and capitalize on their strong performances in the earlier rounds.
