MELBOURNE, Australia – An earlier start and warm weather were not worries for defending champion Madison Keys and her compatriot Jessica Pegula at the Australian Open on Saturday.
Ninth-seeded Keys defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-3 in the opening match at Rod Laver Arena, while sixth-seeded Pegula defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3, 6-2 in the first match at Margaret Court Arena.
Next up for the two Americans is a fourth-round meeting against each other.
Saturday also featured an all-American encounter: fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova defeated Peyton Stearns 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the round of 16.
Play started an hour earlier than initially scheduled on Day 7 due to the forecast of scorching temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). The temperatures during the opening matches had not yet quite reached that level: only 32 degrees Celsius.
“I served well, and overall I give myself a pat on the back for that,” Keys said of her victory. “It gives yourself a boost when you can find your best tennis, trust your game and try to do the right things.”
Pegula said she didn’t mind the higher temperatures: “As a Floridian, I was ready for it.”
Keys said she expects a tough matchup against Pegula in the fourth round.
“Jess is such a great player who consistently does well in every match she plays,” Keys said. “She participates in every competition. It also makes it difficult to be friends.”
“I think we have to do one before the game, so we’ll see how that goes,” Keys said with a smile.
Of the Americans who played in the early games on Saturday, Eliot Spizzirri had the toughest assignment. The 24-year-old Spizzirri, who spent part of his day off Friday playing table tennis at a communal table in Garden Court at Melbourne Park, played in the second match of the day against two-time defending champion and second seed Jannik Sinner at Rod Laver Arena.
The final match on the main court could keep the general public guessing what fashion statement Naomi Osaka might make in her third-round encounter with Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis.
Osaka, who has two Australian Open titles among her four majors, walked onto the court wearing a wide-brimmed hat, veil and a white parasol in her hands for her first-round match. For her second, Osaka didn’t bother with the couture hat, veil and parasol, but still wore a jellyfish-inspired dress and a matching warm-up jacket.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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