Defending Champion Madison Keys Crashes Out of the Australian Open 2026

Madison Keys had won the Australian Open title in 2025 by defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final. However, she could not repeat the same success this year.

During the match, Pegula forced Keys into many errors and took control early in both sets. She stayed in charge and comfortably defeated the defending champion to move into the last eight of the tournament.

Despite the loss, Keys was in good form earlier in the event. She beat Oleksandra Oliynykova in the first round, defeated Ashlyn Krueger in the second round, and cruised past Karolína Plíšková in the third round before losing to Pegula in the fourth round.

Pegula reacts after fourth-round win

After beating the defending champion, Jessica Pegula shared her thoughts on her performance. She said she stayed focused on doing the simple things right and trusted her basic game.

“I’ve been playing really well this tournament. I was seeing the ball well and hitting it cleanly. I wanted to stay true to that. Even when she started coming back, I focused on what I needed to do and followed my patterns,” Pegula said during her on-court interview.

Pegula will play her quarter-final match on January 27. Her opponent is yet to be decided.

After defeating Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula has now won 29 of her last 32 matches against fellow Americans!

Incredible. pic.twitter.com/pJXlWRiQFk

— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) January 26, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz reaches Australian Open 2026 quarter-finals

Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz continued his strong run at the Australian Open 2026 and reached the quarter-finals. He defeated world number 19 Tommy Paul in the fourth round.

Paul fought hard, but Alcaraz won the match in straight sets, 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5. The match was played in extreme heat, which tested both players. A fan in the crowd also needed medical help due to the heat.

Alcaraz eyes maiden Australian Open title

The 22-year-old Alcaraz hit 35 winners during the match and showed great control. He will face either Alex de Minaur or Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz will hope to continue his good form as he looks for his first-ever Australian Open title.