Madison Keys says she is ‘proud’ of the way she conducted herself throughout the Australian Open after crashing out of the tournament on Monday.
Last year’s champion fell 6-3, 6-4, to compatriot Jessica Pegula in the fourth round at Melbourne Park, ending her 10-match winning streak at the Grand Slam. Throughout the match, Keys was vulnerable on her second serve, winning just seven out of 22 points, and was broken twice in each set. It is the eighth time in a row she has been beaten by a top-10 player on the Tour, with her last victory occurring at the same tournament 12 months ago when she beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
“This is obviously not the way that I wanted things to end here, but I’m still really proud of myself,” the American said afterwards.
“I think coming back, being the defending champion, dealing with all of the extra pressure and nerves, I’m just really proud of myself for how I handled it.
“It’s just one of those days where I feel like Jess beat me, and I can kind of walk away with my head held high.”
Since her triumph at the tournament in 2025, Keys hasn’t contested another final and the last time she reached a semi-final was in June on grass at the Queen’s Club. As a result of her latest loss, she is projected to fall outside of the world’s top 10 when the rankings are updated next Monday.
Undoubtedly, things haven’t gone as smoothly as the 30-year-old would have liked. Nevertheless, an undeterred Keys believes there are plenty of positives for her to capitalize on.
“I’m really proud of myself for being very clear-headed and trying to problem-solve, and I think overall there were a lot of really, a lot of positives from this tournament, and some kind of strides forward,” she explained.
“I was open to trying new things, open to trying to implement some of the things that we have been working on, and that’s not always the easiest thing to do, especially here, just coming back and having that extra layer of pressure.
“I’m super proud of myself. There are a handful of things that I’m going to go back and keep practicing, and I have 11 more months of the year to try to implement them into my game.”
Regarding the feeling of losing as a defending champion, Keys sees it as more pleasurable than other losses she has experienced. Since 2000, four women have won-back-to-back Australian Open titles, with the last of those being Sabalenka. The others to do so were Jenifier Capriati, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka.
“It feels way better losing and still being the defending champion because it means you’ve won. It’s not like the world is ending because I lost today.” She said.
“I’m really trying to not live and die on every single win and loss at this point in my career.”
As for Pegula, who is playing in her 28th Grand Slam main draw, she is through to her fourth quarter-final in Melbourne. So far in her career, she has recorded 27 wins over top 10 players and has now won 13 out of her last 14 matches against fellow American players on the Tour. She is the oldest woman to reach consecutive singles quarter-finals without dropping a set at Grand Slam events since Serena Williams at the Australian Open in 2017.
Pegula’s latest triumph also means she won her light-hearted bet with Keys, which involves her trying an apple pie with cheddar cheese grated on top. A food that is a family tradition for Pegula.
“A bet is a bet, so I’ll do it. I hope it’s less gross than I think it’s going to be but we’ll find out I guess,” Keys commented.
Pegula will next play Amanda Anisimova for a place in the semi-finals.
