(Melbourne) American Madison Keys, reigning tournament champion, was eliminated from the Australian Open tennis tournament by her compatriot Jessica Pegula on Monday.

Pegula, seeded sixth, defeated Keys (N.9) in two sets of 6-3, 6-4 at the Rod Laver Arena, thus reaching the quarterfinals.

Pegula, who has never won a Grand Slam tournament, won the first set in just 32 minutes, after taking an early 4-1 lead.

She also broke Keys’ serve to start the second, taking a 4-1 lead again. The clash ended when the defending champion sent a forehand into the net.

PHOTO JAIMI JOY, REUTERS

Madison Keys

Pegula was excellent with the precision of her serve and she kept the ball in play with only a few unforced errors.

The two players had previously crossed swords on three occasions, and Keys had won the last two.

Pegula reached the final of the 2024 US Open, but lost to Aryna Sabalenka. This will be his fourth quarter-final appearance at Melbourne Park.

Pegula and Keys are good friends and host a podcast together. Keys previously said it would be the “first ever Grand Slam match between two podcast co-hosts.”

In the evening in Melbourne, the Polish Iga Swiatek (N.2) will face the Australian Maddison Inglis.