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01/23 19:27 CST Hot weather and early starts no worries for Americans Keys and
Pegula at the Australian Open
Hot weather and early starts no worries for Americans Keys and Pegula at the
Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) --- An earlier start and hot weather were no worries
for defending champion Madison Keys and her fellow American Jessica Pegula at
the Australian Open on Saturday.
The ninth-seeded Keys beat Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-3 in the opening match on
Rod Laver Arena, while sixth-seeded Pegula defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3,
6-2 in the first match at Margaret Court Arena.
Next up for the two Americans is a fourth-round encounter against each other.
Play began an hour earlier than initially scheduled on Day 7 because of the
forecast of searing temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Temperatures during the opening matches hadn't quite reached that level ---
only 32C (89F).
"I served well, and overall I give myself a full pat on the back for that,"
Keys said of her win. "It gives yourself a boost when you can find your best
tennis, trust your game and try to do the right things."
Pegula said she didn't mind the hotter temperatures --- "being a Floridian I
was ready for it."
Keys said she expects a tough match against Pegula in the fourth round.
"Jess is such a great player, consistently doing well in every match she
plays," Keys said. "She is in every single match. It also makes it hard being
friends."
Keys and Pegula, along with several other WTA players, do a podcast called "The
Player's Box" which chronicles everyday life on tour.
" I think we have to do (one) before the match, so we'll see how that goes,"
Keys said, smiling.
Americans also featured in several other early matches Saturday, with Eliot
Spizzirri having the toughest assignment. The 24-year-old Spizzirri, who spent
part of his off-day Friday playing table tennis at a communal table in Garden
Court at Melbourne Park, was to take on two-time defending champion and
second-seeded Jannik Sinner in the second match of the day on Rod Laver Arena.
Spizzirri has competed at all four Grand Slam tournaments, but has only reached
the main draw at the U.S. Open and Australian Open, where the third round here
is his furthest run and career-best result.
Following Pegula at Margaret Court Arena was an all-American contest between
No. 4 Amanda Anisimova and Peyton Stearns. Then another American, eighth-seeded
Ben Shelton, was set to play Valentin Vacherot.
The night session at Rod Laver Arena featured 10-time champion Novak Djokovic
as he continued his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. Djokovic
plays Botic van de Zandschulp in the first of the evening matches.
The concluding match on the main court could have the capacity crowd guessing
what fashion statement Naomi Osaka might make in her third-round encounter with
Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis.
Osaka, who has two Australian Open titles among her four majors, walked onto
the court wearing a wide-brim hat, a veil and holding a white parasol for her
first-round match. For her second, Osaka didn't bother with the couture hat,
veil and parasol but was still wearing a jellyfish-inspired dress and matching
warmup jacket.
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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
