Whihi speaking on a podcast Before her big match against Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula discussed their battle in the Adelaide final last January. Keys’ performance, Pegula recalled, had prompted Pegula to accurately predict to their mutual friends that Keys would win the Australian Open two weeks later. It is normal for players to discuss future opponents, but they usually do not do this in conversation with each other. With a chuckle, Keys interjected, “Jess says, ‘I hope I don’t see that level [tomorrow].’”
She didn’t. Keys’ reign at the Australian Open came to a rocky end in the fourth round as the defending champion and ninth seed were crushed under the weight of her heavy unforced error count and a flawless performance from sixth seed Pegula, who marched into the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. This was, in a sense, a historic match at Rod Laver Arena: the first grand slam match between two podcast co-hosts.
Keys and Pegula, who are one year old, 30 and 31 years old respectively, are good friends who have known each other for almost twenty years. Although this was only their fourth WTA meeting, with the score tied at 2-2, they have trained together hundreds of times. Last August they turned their friendship and success into a tennis podcast, The player boxwhich they are co-hosting with 2021 Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady and four-time mixed doubles slam champion Desirae Krawczyk.
Women’s tennis is known for fierce competitiveness among players, which can lead to unfriendly relations between some of the top players. This is actually part of the sport’s appeal for many fans, the realization that players will fight desperately in matches without fear of offending their opponents.
However, this match reflects the friendlier side of the sport. It’s impressive how some players compartmentalize their friendships, fighting fiercely during their matches, but not allowing the outcome to affect their personal relationships: “As tennis players, it’s not that deep,” Pegula said. “We’ve been doing it for so long. We can literally be friends and laugh until the moment we walk across the field. At that point, we both want to win and we’re both competitors. We’re going to do everything we can to get the W. Once it’s over, you’ll be friends again.”
The run-up to this match was especially entertaining. Following their third round victories, Keys and Pegula came away with forfeits to whoever lost the match. Pegula, whose billionaire family owns the Buffalo Bills NFL team, would have had to wear a Kansas City Chiefs jersey with the names of Travis Kelce and his fiancée, Taylor Swift, on the back if she had lost.
Unfortunately for Keys, once she gets over the end of her title defense, she will also have to eat apple pie with melted cheddar cheese on top, a dessert enjoyed by the Pegula family. During her earlier press conference, Keys emphasized how disgusting she found the dish: “She tried to make it sound like it was the most normal thing ever, and we were all just disgusted by it. She tried to double down and say, ‘No, it’s amazing,'” Keys said.
The latest Player’s Box was scheduled to be filmed on Sunday afternoon, long before either player realized they might be playing against each other. The two players discussed the origins of their friendship and the different paths they took in their formative years, as well as giving their thoughts on the upcoming match. There was some mild nonsense in there. At one point, Keys described watching Pegula’s videos to scout her opponent’s play: “You missed a hack slice beforehand and you were so annoyed. I was like, ‘haha”
The moment they stepped onto the field, all the jokes came to an end. This was an important moment for both competitors. It was clear from the start that Keys was completely wrong and could not play freely because of her tension. While Keys can blow anyone off the court with the power of her serve and groundstrokes, she also hits herself on a regular basis. This game showcased the worst of Keys, who made wild cuts at the ball and sprayed unforced errors from all parts of the field.
While her opponent struggled, Pegula was neat and tidy as ever. She met Keys’ devastating serve with depth and consistency, taking the ball early and forcing Keys into difficult positions by shifting her pace and moving the ball well. Most of all, she offered Keys so few errors, making 13 unforced errors to Keys’ count of 28. In the first set, she hit just four.
Pegula still hasn’t dropped a set in Melbourne so far and she’s playing great tennis. She is now a nine-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist and continues to challenge for major titles with regular deep runs. However, in this incredibly competitive period at the top of women’s tennis, the biggest challenge of Pegula’s career is turning her consistency into a grand slam victory.
The match ended with a miserable 14th forehand unforced error from Keys, which drew a rare bark of “come on” from a typically calm Pegula. But by the time they walked to the net, the two players no longer viewed each other as opponents. They greeted each other with a smile and embraced in a warm hug before leaving the court as friends again.
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