"All Maddie had to do was eat a piece of pie, that's not a big deal" - Pegula avoids wearing rival teams' jersey after defeating reigning champion Keys

Jessica Pegula is continuing her positive form as she is yet to drop a set in this year's Australian Open, defeating very good friend Madison Keys. It was not only a quarter-final spot on the line but agreed punishments agreed by both players to add more tension on the line.

Played out in the blistering heat of the Melbourne day, it was Pegula who fared better on court. After Keys recovered a break deficit, Pegula got back in front ahead of taking the first set. She then raced into a 4-1 lead before Keys got one of the breaks back. Pegula would not allow the reigning champion to get back into the match, rounding it off to reach a fourth Australian Open quarter-final.

"I was happy with the way I served on some really big key points and how I was able to execute my strategy," she said in her press conference. "I’ve been seeing the ball well, hitting well, moving well — I feel like I’ve done that throughout the whole tournament. To be able to keep that up against such a great player like Maddie, and the defending champion, was always going to be a tougher task today, but I think I was able to do that really well."

The two Americans get along very well, and even have a podcast together. An on-court meeting at such a big time still does not stand in their way of having a laugh afterwards about a funny moment on the top of each other's tongues.

"We were talking about a funny moment we had right before the match when we walked on," she explained. "We were just laughing about it. Obviously we didn’t get to talk about it then because we were about to play. She just kind of said, 'Great job,' and then brought up that funny moment and conversation we’d had. That was all."

There was even more on the line. If Pegula had lost, she would have had to wear a Kansas City Chiefs jersey. Pegula's family owns the Buffalo Bills, which would make an awkward situation for the 31-year-old. "Yeah, that was bad. She was like, 'Mine’s worse,' and I was like, 'What are you talking about?' My family owns the Buffalo Bills. This team has owned us in the postseason. Absolutely not — by far worse."

Keys punishment would be eating a pie dish enjoyed by the Pegula family, something that she had found 'repulsive.' Pegula has backed that her punishment is much worse, and got confirmation from a fellow American tennis talent. "I saw Iva Jovic in the locker room before I went on and she was like, 'If you lose, that’s way worse, wearing the Chiefs jersey.' All Maddie had to do was eat a piece of pie," she argued. "That’s not a big deal. So yeah, that was definitely some extra motivation, because that would have been a tough moment for me."

The pressure was ramping up on Pegula in the second set, with the sun having an impact on proceedings. "For me, it was really important to focus on my serve. It was very tough on that one side serving into the sun. I lost that game and I was just like, 'You know what — serving into the sun is tough.' She hit a couple of good shots, so I didn’t want to dwell on it too much.

There was no let off for Pegula, who was focused on the task at hand. "But going back out to close it, I knew I really needed to stay focused. Now that I’d felt what it was like serving into the sun, I knew which serves were a little easier to hit," Pegula admitted. "I wanted to keep my feet moving and my body weight going forward. Sometimes when you get a little nervous, or when you’re playing really well, you can relax too much. That’s hard to do against someone like Maddie, who can flip a match very quickly with a couple of big forehands and winners."

Her double break advantage was slashed, and she needed to be careful that Keys does not get back within a shot of the set. "All of a sudden she hits a few good serves and it’s back to even," she said, "So I just wanted to keep my momentum moving forward no matter what happened. That’s really all I was focused on. I thought I played a few good points, focused on my serve, and also serve plus one — where I thought she was going to return so I could be ready for that first ball and not give her any free points."

Between 2021 and 2023, Pegula made six Grand Slam quarter-finals. This included three in a row at the Australian Open. It became a narrative that she could not make it past that stage, but the tables were turned when she reached the 2024 US Open final, before backing it up with a semi-final the next year.

This narrative never really go to her. "Not really. That always felt like something everyone else came up with," she stated. "I mean, if you’re making quarterfinals of a Slam, that’s pretty good. I never really understood the negativity around it, or the headline of, 'How does she get past the quarters?' The fact that I was putting myself in that many positions felt like a feat in itself."

It is a second Grand Slam quarter-final appearance in a row for the American and a first outside the US Open since Wimbledon 2023. "Being back in the quarters now doesn’t feel that different. After making finals and semis at the US Open, that felt normal. If anything, I’m probably more comfortable now knowing I’ve gone further. It doesn’t feel like as big of a deal, even though it obviously is. I don’t really think about it that much."

It is not uncommon for players to regularly face competitors from the same country as them, especially if you American with a plethora of talent on the WTA Tour. Pegula has already taken down doubles partner McCartney Kessler before defeating Keys. Next up, the pattern continues with two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova next on the line.

"Honestly, I don’t mind the familiarity," she said. "Sometimes it can be tough because you know each other so well. It can feel weird beating someone you practice with, train with, or see all the time. But at the same time, we’re used to it. We’re with each other almost every week — same flights, same hotels, same dining rooms. You kind of have that feeling with most of the girls."

She took the consolation that if she lost, then a fellow countrywoman would march on. "It would be cool to have another all-American showdown. At least one of us would get through, and that’s great for American tennis. It’s been pretty crazy how well the women have been doing and how many top-ranked players there are. I’m just happy to be part of that conversation."