MELBOURNE, Australia
Defending champion Madison Keys was ousted from the Australian Open on Monday in straight sets by fellow American Jessica Pegula, who advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
The sixth-seeded Pegula controlled the match at Rod Laver Arena, jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first set and closing it in just 32 minutes.
She broke the ninth-seeded Keys at the start of the second set and quickly built another 4-1 advantage as Keys struggled with her serve. The match ended when a Keys forehand found the net.
Pegula, 31, has now reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the fourth time.
“I’ve been playing really well, seeing the ball, hitting the ball really well this whole tournament, and I wanted to stay true to that,” Pegula said.
“Then just lean into a couple things that I felt like she would do, and I felt like I came out doing it pretty well. When I had the lead I tried to stick with that as much as I could.”
By James Kisoo
