Defending champion Madison Keys has been knocked out of the Australian Open after going down against fellow American Jessica Pegula in straight sets in the round of 16 at Rod Laver Arena on Monday. Keys could not exert dominance on the court over Pegula.
The match lasted only 1 hour and 18 minutes, as Pegula dominated key stats. Keys led in the first serve percentage and total winners, while Pegula led in the first serve win percentage (69%), converted four out of five break point chances with an 80% success rate, and won a total of 69 points to knock out the defending champion.
With the loss, Keys has now dropped out of the top-10 rankings in women’s singles since she had defended almost 2000 points, which was more than three-fourths of what she had won last year from her Australian Open win in this year’s edition. According to reliable estimates, the 2017 US Open finalist has lost 1,760 points and dropped to the 15th rank, one below four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Last year, Keys had an unbeaten run in the Australian swing on her way to the first Grand Slam title of her professional career. However, in 2026, Keys had dissapointing exits at both Brisbane International and Adelaide International, losing to Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Mboko in the quarterfinals, respectively.
Jessica Pegula Reflected on Her Win Over Madison Keys at the Australian Open
After the win, Pegula walked towards the presenter for the customary on-court interview. The World No. 6 first gave her reflection on the first set of the match.
“I’ve been playing really well, hitting the ball really well this whole tournament. And I wanted to stay kind of true to that and then just lean on a couple of things that I felt like she would do,” Pegula said.
“And I felt like I came out kind of doing it pretty well, and then maybe got a couple of quick points from her early on. So I just tried to stick with that lead as much as I could when I had it. Even then, she got a little rhythm coming back. But I just really tried to focus on what I needed to do and patterns to look out for,” she added.
Subsequently, Pegula then reflected on her performance in the second set and how she closed out the match against Keys. “She just played a couple of excellent games. I really had to focus on where I was serving and be smart and kind of take some risk on some second serves, change up the pace as much as I could,” Pegula said.
“I feel like sometimes my serve, it kind of comes right into her, and it comes back even faster, even if I hit a good serve. So I had to really trust that I was able to change speeds and hit my spots on my serve, first and second. I got broken. I was trying not to worry about it. It’s a little tough on that side. Into the sun, kind of like uphill, a little bit into a breeze. So I tried not to get too upset about that one,” she added.
While Madison Keys will now shift her focus to the next swing in tennis, with WTA events resuming in February, Pegula marches on to the quarterfinals, where her opponent is yet to be decided.
Also read:
Andy Roddick Shuts Down Jannik Sinner Favoritism Accusations In Fiery Australian Open Roof Saga
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
