On Monday, Madison Keys easily defeated Jessica Pegula in straight sets to get to the US Open quarterfinals.
Keys defeated world No. 3 Pegula 6-1 6-3 to get to her second straight grand slam quarterfinal; she also did so at Wimbledon earlier this year.
After a strong lead-up to the competition, Pegula had been considered one of the favourites to win, but she was never able to develop a lead over her compatriot.
The current Wimbledon winner, Markéta Vondrouová, will square up against World No. 17 Keys in the next round.
Keys stated during her post-victory interview on the court that competing in the US Open always inspires her to give her best effort.
“Absolutely, I’ve had so many amazing moments in New York,” Keys said. “Being able to, at any moment, come back from difficult positions in matches, in front of these crowds, has been amazing.”
The Buffalo, New York native Pegula, whose parents own the NFL team the Buffalo Bills, was favoured by the home crowd to defeat Florida resident Keys.
Pegula never appeared at ease against Keys, even with the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd as a whole supporting her.
The 28-year-old Keys stamped her stamp on their fourth-round match with a dominant first set, conceding just one game as she jumped out to a set lead.
In the second set, Pegula showed signs of resiliency, but it was in vain; Keys was able to break serve once again to seize the lead and win the match.
Any chance Pegula had of staging a comeback was continually dashed by needless errors, and Keys was able to seal the incredible triumph in just 61 minutes.
This is Keys’ first appearance in the final eight of successive majors since the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2018. Keys was a finalist at the US Open in 2017.
Additionally, she defeated Barbora Krejková in the 2022 Australian Open quarterfinals, marking her first victory over a top-five seed at a major slam since then.
