MELBOURNE, Australia – Jessica Pegula knocked podcast friend and defending champion Madison Keys out of the Australian Open on Monday to secure a quarterfinal match against Amanda Anisimova, another all-American match.
Their fourth-round victories on Day 9 saw four Americans reach the last eight of women’s singles in Australia for the first time since 2001, as Serena and Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport advanced through.
“It’s a shame that one American has to go out in the quarterfinals,” Anisimova said.
Pegula had a slightly different opinion: “At least one of us will get through it and I think that’s great for American tennis. Yeah, it’s been pretty crazy how well the women have done and how many top girls there are. I’m just happy to be part of that conversation.”
Pegula and Anisimova moved up a day after No. 3 Coco Gauff and 18-year-old Iva Jovic earned their places on the other side of the draw.
Pegula’s 6-3, 6-4 win at Rod Laver Arena ended Keys’ first Grand Slam title defense in a tricky part of the draw.
Anisimova, runner-up at the last two majors at Wimbledon and the US Open, advanced 7-6 (4), 6-4 over Wang
“What a battle there. Tough conditions against a very good opponent,” Anisimova said. “There were a lot of fans from China today, but honestly it made the atmosphere great.”
Number 2 Iga Świątek continued her quest to complete a Grand Slam career with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over home qualifier Maddison Inglis, leaving the center court crowd with little to cheer on the Australia Day national holiday.
Swiatek next meets No. 5 Elena Rybakina, runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka here in 2023.
Pegula is in the quarter-finals for the fourth time in Australia, but has never previously advanced to the season-opening major. Anisimova is in the last eight here for the first time.
“I’ve seen, hit, moved, I’ve felt really good all tournament, and to be able to keep that up against such a great player like Maddie and defending champion today was going to be a lot harder,” Pegula said. “I was still very good at that.”
Pegula and Keys had played three times before, and Keys had won the last two. But on Monday it was Pegula who dominated and took a 4-1 lead in both sets.
“I felt like if I didn’t hit a really good ball right away, she was in charge of the points,” Keys said. “I had a little bit of trouble getting that dominance back.”
Pegula’s best performance in a major was reaching the US Open final in 2024.
Three Italian men started day 9. Only two were able to advance.
Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner defeated compatriot Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (2) two days after admitting he was lucky to survive the third round.
Sinner struggled with the extreme heat and cramps during his victory over Eliot Spizzirri’s No. 85 on Saturday afternoon, only taking control of that match after the roof closed in the third set.
His evening match on Monday was much cooler, and so was Sinner. He achieved a personal best of 19 aces and improved his streak to 18 consecutive wins at Melbourne Park.
The Italian star next faces No. 8 seed Ben Shelton, who defeated No. 12 Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a night match. Sinner has won his last eight meetings with the 23-year-old American, including last year’s semi-final here.
Lorenzo Musetti reached the quarter-finals for the first time in Australia with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory over the ailing Taylor Fritz.
It completed a Grand Slam run of quarter-finals for the 23-year-old Italian.
Fifth-seeded Musetti has had a disrupted run, with members of his support team having to return home for personal reasons. He also had to leave his family behind after the birth of his second son in November.
“I feel more mature on the field. I play better for that, and for them,” he said.
His next mission is against a rested Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Major winner was scheduled to play the evening match on Monday, but instead received a walkover to the quarter-finals.
With an expected high of 45 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, organizers planned to open the gates to fans early. Matches on the three arena fields will likely be played with the retractable roof on.
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