Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula have advanced to the third round of the Australian Open after their latest victories in Melbourne.
According to Associated Press, defending champion Keys survived another challenging game on Thursday, January 22, to overcome fellow American Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 7-5 to continue defense for her only major title.
After dominating the first set, the one-time Grand Slam winner struggled in the second set and fell behind 5-2 but kept rallying for victory and beat Krueger at John Cain Arena.
After reaching third round, the 30-year-old said, “I think I started really well, and Ashlyn started a little bit slow. And then I was fully expecting her to raise her level, which she did. It just kind of got away from me a little quickly.”
“I just wanted to, even if I lost the (second) set, make sure I tried to get back in the set and try to figure out where my game kind of went and be able to get a few more points on the board. Once I kind of got back momentum, I just tried to sink my teeth into the set and do whatever I could to get back into it,” she added.
Furthermore, in another match between two American professionals, sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula defeated McCartney Kessler 6-0, 6-2.
Keys will now face Czech tennis player Karolína Plíšková in the third round on Saturday, January 24, while Pegula will clash with Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva.
