Jessica Pegula ended Madison Keys’ Australian Open title defence with a 6-3, 6-4 win in just 78 minutes, also winning a quirky bet involving apple pie topped with cheddar cheese.
Keys hit more winners (26) than Pegula (14) but made 28 unforced errors, letting Pegula take control. The win sets up a quarter-final clash with fellow American Amanda Anisimova.
The match had a playful side: Keys had bet Pegula would wear a Kansas City Chiefs jersey if she lost, while Pegula would get Keys to eat the unusual pie if Pegula won. After her victory, Pegula wrote “no Chiefs jersey today” on the camera lens, and Keys agreed to the pie challenge.
Pegula, seeded sixth, now joins Anisimova, Coco Gauff, and Iva Jovic in the quarter-finals, marking the first time four American women have reached the last eight at the Australian Open since 2001.
