Jessica Pegula brought her focus and her game. Unfortunately, [9] Madison Keys did not bring her A-game against her podcast partner. Her reign as the Australian Open ended abruptly in the fourth round. She just never seemed fully engaged. This was quite reminiscent of her match against Sloane Stephens at the final of the US Open. It makes you wonder if she struggles to bring forth her aggressive game against her friends at big moments.
Embed from Getty ImagesJessica Pegula Came Prepared For Victory
Interesting to note that Keys led their H2H 2:1 going into this match. How did Pegula get the upper hand? Pegula came out with focus and determination, and she kept Keys on her heels. Keys rarely got a chance to settle into her groundstrokes to use her power game effectively. Even though Keys broke back, she just never seemed to play with the conviction that she would win. [6] Jessica Pegula was determined and focused and she won 6-3, 6-4. [4] Amanda Anisimova gets to her first Australian Open quarterfinals with her straight sets victory. It was not an easy win though, Xinyu Wang made her work hard for the victory. Anisimova won 7-6(4), 6-4.
Embed from Getty ImagesAustralian Open Day 9 Fallen Seeds
American [9] Taylor Fritz is out of the Australian Open. [5] Lorenzo Musetti has always been a torn in the American’s side. Their H2H was tied 3:3 going into this match. Except for their Wimbledon 2024 encounter, all their other matches were won in straight sets. Musetti won 6-2, 7-5, 6-4. Can Musetti keep up this level of play against [4] Novak Djokovic? The problem with the Italian is his headspace when he plays Djokovic.
[12] Casper Ruud lost in four sets to American, [8] Ben Shelton. Shelton won 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Unfortunately for Shelton, his next opponent is [2] Jannik Sinner. Shelton has lost the last eight consecutive times they played in straight sets. Will he halt that trend in this encounter or is his game still not ready? [21] Elise Mertens fell in straight sets to [5] Elena Rybakina. Rybakina won 6-1, 6-3. [2] Jannik Sinner defeated [22] Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2).
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