MELBOURNE, Australia — Jessica Pegula’s report via the primary three rounds on the Australian Open was constructed on unparalleled composure and sensible tennis. On Monday, she added one thing extra. That is an announcement.
The world No. 6 not solely defeated defending champion and shut pal Madison Keys on Rod Laver Enviornment, she utterly dismantled her sport with intelligence and self-discipline, displaying a stage of tactical nous that makes her really feel like a participant able to win a Grand Slam.
The 31-year-old continued her good run by defeating No. 9 seed Keyes 6-3, 6-4 to achieve the quarterfinals, however has but to drop a set.
This was already essentially the most fascinating matchup of the day. It was arrange as a conflict between Keys’ explosive and highly effective shot-making and Pegula’s effectivity. Nicely, that is all that unfolded, however it additionally made somewhat extra sense. It was a lesson in how one can counter an opponent’s strengths with form, selection and stress.
“(I am) pleased with the way in which I served. I considered some actually essential factors and executed my technique,” Pegula mentioned after the match.
“I felt like I regarded, hit, moved, and felt actually good all through this event. It was going to be a harder job at present to take care of that in opposition to nice gamers like Maddie and the defending champions, however I nonetheless assume I used to be capable of do very well.”
Pegula’s intentions have been clear from the start of the primary set. She was at all times within the lead, shifting ahead and breaking early on Keys’ serves, and in service video games she at all times compelled her opponent to maneuver with good placement, relatively than letting Keys plant himself and benefit from factors with aggressive returns.
Large serves, angular groundstrokes, looping forehands, slices, and flat cross-court strikes. Something that prevented the 2025 winner from discovering his rhythm, Pegula did.
After all, Keys nonetheless produced some nice work. There have been massive serves and moments of brilliance. There have been some massive down-the-line backhand winners, reminding everybody why her ceiling stays the best of any participant on tour — and Pegula mentioned she wants to remain constant with out letting her stage drop or the specter of a Keys upset will at all times be there.
However the issue for Keys was her personal consistency. Too typically she both ended the purpose with a winner or was compelled into an error attributable to Pegula’s versatility and depth.
The numbers advised the story in a really brutal manner.
After 10 video games, with Pegula holding a 6-3, 1-0 lead, Keys hit 14 game-winners but in addition made 20 unforced errors. Pegula? 5 and 5. By the top of the sport, Keys had a powerful 26 winners, however solely 28 unforced errors. Pegula? 12 and 13.
It was a conflict between high-risk, highly effective, ball-striking tennis and a high-IQ, constant sport, and the latter gained.
The second set adopted a lot the identical sample, with Pegula holding a slight lead all through. It was a bodily restrict, however it was additionally a psychological restrict. She continued to take in Keys’ serve, unblinking, forcing additional balls, hitting angles, and her execution underneath stress within the fourth spherical was invaluable.
There was additionally a transparent distinction on serve, the place it could possibly be argued that Pegula is likely to be a bit susceptible. There was just one double fault in comparison with six.
“It was actually essential to deal with my serve,” Pegula mentioned. “It was very powerful on the aspect serving into the solar. We misplaced that match. And I used to be like, properly, guess what…she hit some good photographs, however no matter. Simply do not dwell on it.”
“I actually needed to keep targeted. I believe I simply hold shifting my ft and hold my weight ahead. Typically I get somewhat nervous and play very well, however generally I loosen up. And it is arduous to do this in opposition to a participant like Maddie, who can hit a few massive forehands and winners and switch the match round rapidly. Abruptly, she hit a few good serves and was already again at even.”
This matchup generated much more curiosity. The 2 co-host the podcast The Participant’s Field and are shut buddies. It was the primary time that top-10 American seeds confronted one another on the Ladies’s Australian Open since Serena Williams confronted Lindsay Davenport within the 2005 ultimate.
Pegula reached the quarterfinals and is taking part in extremely environment friendly tennis, defeating most of her rivals. They by no means dropped a set and misplaced simply 17 video games.
Over time, her consistency has been praised, and rightly so, with critics typically labeling her a fantastic quarterfinal common. Maybe that is truthful – she did not break via that stage of the competitors till 2024.
She arrived in Melbourne chasing that main title, however the identical questions nonetheless lingered. When will she lastly have a breakthrough? When will she lastly declare the last word? Is she “too constant”? Are there sufficient weapons? Is she nice with out being a champion?
For Pegula, it is all simply exterior noise that she would not take into consideration.
“I felt like if I might get 1 / 4 within the slams, that may be fairly good,” she mentioned. “So I do not perceive the damaging opinions about this film in any respect. I imply, I believe simply the headlines are, how did she get via the quarters?”
“So the truth that I’ve put myself in so many locations looks like a feat in itself. … On the U.S. Open, I received to the ultimate, I received to the semifinals, and it felt like a traditional factor. So for me, it would not really feel that totally different. Possibly even now I am much more relieved to know that I might have made additional progress. I really feel like attending to the quarterfinals is not that massive of a deal. I do not know.”
A efficiency like this in opposition to the defending champions supplies the very best rebuttal. Performances like this recommend that breakthroughs aren’t but to come back, and may very well have already begun. And maybe it is time to change the narrative.
Pegula’s mission could not be easier. She is going to face fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova within the quarterfinals. Pegula is 3-0 in opposition to her, however this will likely be her first time taking part in on the Grand Slam stage.
