Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula maintain composure to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia — An earlier start time and warm conditions posed no challenges for defending champion Madison Keys and her fellow American Jessica Pegula at the Australian Open on Saturday.
The ninth-seeded Keys triumphed over Karolina Pliskova with a score of 6-3, 6-3 in the opening match on Rod Laver Arena, while sixth-seeded Pegula secured a victory against Oksana Selekhmeteva, winning 6-3, 6-2 in the first match at Margaret Court Arena.
Both Americans are set to face each other in the fourth round.
Play commenced an hour earlier than originally planned on Day 7 due to predictions of extreme temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). However, the temperatures during the initial matches did not quite hit that mark, registering only 32C (89F).
“I served well, and overall I give myself a full pat on the back for that,” Keys remarked regarding her victory. “Finding your best tennis and trusting your game gives you a boost and helps you focus on doing the right things.”
Pegula expressed that she was unfazed by the warmer conditions, stating, “being a Floridian I was ready for it.”
Keys anticipates a challenging match against Pegula in the fourth round.
“Jess is an exceptional player, consistently performing well in every match she competes in,” Keys noted. “She is present in every single match. It also complicates things being friends.”
Keys and Pegula, along with several other WTA players, host a podcast titled “The Player’s Box,” which details their daily experiences on tour.
“I think we need to do (one) before the match, so we’ll see how that turns out,” Keys said with a smile.
Americans were also prominent in several other early matches on Saturday, with Eliot Spizzirri facing the toughest challenge. The 24-year-old Spizzirri, who spent part of his off-day Friday playing table tennis at a communal table in Garden Court at Melbourne Park, was scheduled to compete against two-time defending champion and second-seeded Jannik Sinner in the second match of the day on Rod Laver Arena.
Spizzirri has participated in all four Grand Slam tournaments but has only reached the main draw at the U.S. Open and Australian Open, where his third-round appearance here marks his furthest progression and best career result.
Following Pegula at Margaret Court Arena was an all-American matchup between No. 4 Amanda Anisimova and Peyton Stearns. Another American, eighth-seeded Ben Shelton, was set to face Valentin Vacherot.
The night session at Rod Laver Arena featured 10-time champion Novak Djokovic as he continued his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. Djokovic was scheduled to play Botic van de Zandschulp in the first of the evening matches.
The final match on the main court had the capacity crowd speculating about what fashion choice Naomi Osaka might present in her third-round match against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis.
Osaka, who holds two Australian Open titles among her four major championships, entered the court wearing a wide-brim hat, a veil, and carrying a white parasol for her first-round match. In her second match, Osaka opted out of the couture hat, veil, and parasol but still donned a jellyfish-inspired dress along with a matching warmup jacket.
Source: espn.com
