Madison Keys was left feeling quite gross after she had no option but to fulfill compatriot and WTA rival Jessica Pegula’s strange Australian Open bet. Keys and Pegula, despite being rivals, share a close friendship and they also happen to be two of four co-hosts of The Player’s Box Podcast.
Recently, the two Americans clashed in the fourth round of women’s singles action at the 2026 Australian Open. Ahead of the match, the duo decided that the loser of the match would have to complete a challenge decided by the winner. Pegula had told Keys in the buildup that the latter would have to eat apple pie with molten cheddar cheese on top if she lost.
Eventually, Keys, who won the Melbourne title last year, was defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Pegula and subsequently, when the two were co-hosting the next episode of the podcast, the 2025 champion had to fulfill the bet on camera. Completely grossed out by the apple pie with molten cheese, the 30-year-old said:
“I’m going to try and get this over with because it looks gross and i had a lot of technical difficulties. It’s not only melted but also kind of cold. so i feel like this is gross.”
Keys’ facial expressions and reactions while eating the pie unsurprisingly left Pegula, along with the two other co-hosts Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk, in splits.
Jessica Pegula Revealed Key Factor In Australian Open 2026 Win Over Madison Keys
Following her fourth-round win over Keys in Melbourne this year, Pegula highlighted the significance of the variations of her serve, which she used to devastating effect to unsettle the big-hitting Keys. The World No. 6 told the media:
“I had to focus on where I was and be smart and take some serves, change up the pace as well as I could. I feel sometimes my serve, it comes right into her and it comes back faster, even if I hit a good serve. I had to really trust that I was able to change speeds and hit my spots on my first and second serves.”
Pegula went on to beat fourth-ranked Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals in another impressive straight-set victory. However, the 31-year-old’s deep run at the 2026 Australian Open was put to the sword by eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the semis, with the Kazakh winning their last-four encounter 6-3, 7-6(7). Rybakina then needed three sets to overcome World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Meanwhile, Keys’ fourth-round exit in Melbourne led to her dropping out of the WTA top 10.
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