Jessica Pegula ousts defending Australian Open champion Madison Keys

By Eleanor Crooks, Press Association Sport Correspondent, Melbourne

Jessica Pegula was driven by extra motivation in her fourth-round win over defending Australian Open champion Madison Keys – avoiding wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey.

Pegula and Keys are close friends away from the court and present The Player’s Box podcast together along with fellow American players Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk.

The pair agreed that the winner of the clash would get to choose a forfeit for the loser and, had Keys won, Pegula, whose parents own the Buffalo Bills, would have had to don a Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift Chiefs jersey.

Cheddar cheese on apple pie - can the Canadians in the house confirm if this is a thing?

Asking for a friend, @JPegula 😂 pic.twitter.com/UVDnCO8F5X

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2026

“That was bad,” said Pegula. “She was, like, ‘Mine’s worse’. I was, like, ‘What are you talking about? My family owns the Bills. This team has owned us in the post-season’.

“All she has to do is eat a piece of pie. What is the big deal? I think that was really some extra motivation, because that would have been a tough moment for me.”

The pie in question is the Pegula family’s Thanksgiving tradition of apple pie with melted cheddar cheese on top.

“A bet is a bet, so I’ll do it,” said Keys. “I hope it’s less gross than I think it’s going to be, but we will find out, I guess.”

Keys had won their only previous grand slam meeting comfortably but the 30-year-old has been searching for her best form since winning her maiden grand slam title here 12 months ago and was outplayed by Pegula.

The sixth seed got off to strong starts in both sets and Keys was not able to get back on terms.

Despite her disappointment, Keys reflected positively on the tournament, saying: “It’s obviously not the way that I wanted things to end here, but I’m still really proud of myself.

“I think coming back, being defending champion, dealing with all of the extra pressure and nerves, I’m just really proud of myself for how I handled it.

“Just one of those days where I feel like Jess beat me, and I can kind of walk away with my head held high.”

Keys and her podcast crew will now be supporting Pegula, with the 31-year-old through to a fourth quarter-final in Melbourne and looking to go further for the first time.

“I’m not going to say anything, because the last time we told Jess that she was going to do well, she didn’t do well, so she told us that we’re all banned from saying anything,” said Keys.

“I don’t think she needs any sort of pep talk from me. I think she’s very sure of her game and how she’s playing. We’ll just be cheering her on.”

Pegula is yet to drop a set and could not be happier with her form, saying: “I have always been the type of player where I get frustrated when I feel like I’m not getting better.

“I’ve already had a lot of really great results. Being 31, I still feel like I’m improving as a player. So that is what gets me the most excited.”