MELBOURNE, Australia -- Defending champion Madison Keys was 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. Pegula, who has never claimed a Grand Slam, won the first set in only 32 minutes.
Pegula raced to a 4-1 lead in the first set, and Pegula also broke to open the second set and again surged to a 4-1 lead as Keys struggled with her serve. The match ended when Keys hit a forehand into the net.
Pegula was excellent with her serve accuracy and kept the ball in play with few unforced errors.
Pegula and Keys had played three times previously, and Keys had won the past two.
Pegula reached the U.S. Open final in 2024 but lost to Aryna Sabalenka. It will be her fourth appearance in the quarterfinals in Australia.
Pegula and Keys are good friends and have been doing a podcast together. Keys had said earlier that it would be the "first match in Grand Slam history between two podcast co-hosts."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
