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ESPN News Services
Jan 21, 2026, 09:20 PM ET
MELBOURNE, Australia — Defending champion Madison Keys survived a tough second-set challenge Thursday but overcame fellow American Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 7-5 to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
After sweeping through the first set, the ninth-seeded Keys fell behind 5-2 in the second set but rallied for the victory at John Cain Arena.
In another early match between two American women, sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula had a 6-0, 6-2 win over McCartney Kessler, her doubles partner.
Two more U.S. women will meet in the third round. No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, runner-up at the previous two major tournaments, fended off doubles champion Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-4 in a raucous atmosphere on Margaret Court Arena and will next play fellow American Peyton Stearns.
Keys was down a double break in the second set before rallying to beat Krueger.
“I think I started really well, and Ashlyn started a little bit slow,” Keys said. “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.”
Keys said she tried to get back to basics, hoping she could at least prepare herself for a deciding third set.
Instead, she took the second.
“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,” Keys said. “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.”
Keys will next face former No. 1-ranked Karolina Pliskova, who had a 6-4, 6-4 win over Janice Tjen of Indonesia. Pliskova played just three matches last year after recovering from ankle surgery following the 2024 US Open.
Pegula will next face Oksana Selekhmeteva, who upset No. 25 Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-4. Badosa was a semifinalist in Australia last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Originally published at ESPN
