Adelaide International 2025 Women’s Semifinals Preview: Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys seek spot in the final

The semifinalists of the Adelaide International have been determined, with Americans Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys leading the charge. The quarterfinals saw the elimination of three seeded players, setting the stage for intriguing matchups in the final WTA tournament before the Australian Open.

Pegula is set to face the talented Kazakh Yulia Putintseva, while Liudmila Samsonova will challenge former US Open runner-up Keys. The matches will take place on Friday as players continue to fine-tune their form ahead of the season’s first Grand Slam.

Keys vs. Samsonova

Madison Keys (No. 20) has demonstrated remarkable consistency throughout her career, showcasing one of the heaviest forehands on the WTA Tour. Just last week, she reached the quarterfinals at the ASB Classic, and now she finds herself in the semifinals in Adelaide with a 5-1 record over the past two weeks. This includes three victories against top-20 players this week.

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Keys opened her campaign with an impressive straight-sets win over Beatriz Haddad Maia (No. 16) and then rallied from a set down to defeat former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko (No. 17). In the semifinals, she secured her first top-10 win of the season, decisively beating Daria Kasatkina (No. 9) 6-1, 6-3, firing 11 aces against an opponent known for her solid returns.

Now, Keys will face another Russian: Liudmila Samsonova (No. 26), who caused an upset in the quarterfinals by defeating second seed Emma Navarro (No. 8). Samsonova’s path also included wins over Marie Bouzkova and Belinda Bencic. The head-to-head record favours Keys 4-1, though they are tied 1-1 on hard courts. Notably, Samsonova won their quarterfinal meeting at Adelaide in 2022 in three sets.

Pegula vs. Putintseva

Top seed Jessica Pegula (No. 7) opted for an extra week of rest and skipped the United Cup this year. She began her campaign at the Adelaide International smoothly, defeating Maria Sakkari (No. 32) 6-4, 6-1 and Ashlyn Krueger (No. 51) 6-4, 2-0 (ret.). The American appears to have maintained her high level in 2025 and is the favourite to reach the final.

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She will face Kazakh Yulia Putintseva (No. 25), who has shown increased consistency over the past year. The 29-year-old scored three top-10 wins in 2024, including over then-World No. 1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon and No. 2 Coco Gauff at the Cincinnati Open.

In Adelaide, Putintseva defeated formidable opponents, including 2024 Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic (No. 19), Ons Jabeur (No. 40), and Russian sensation Diana Shnaider (No. 13) in a tight quarterfinal clash. Putintseva has reached three hardcourt finals in her career, the last in 2021. The head-to-head record stands at 2-0 in Pegula’s favour, with both wins at the Canadian Open (2022 and 2023).

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