American resolve fuels Keys and Pegula’s Melbourne advances

MELBOURNE, Australia—Defending champion Madison Keys stepped onto the court at John Cain Arena with last year’s title in her rearview, but the Australian Open’s second round demanded more than muscle memory. Facing Ashlyn Krueger in an all-American duel, Keys surged through the first set 6-1, her heavy topspin forehands whipping crosscourt to keep the pressure unrelenting. The Melbourne hard courts, with their crisp bounce, amplified her early command, but Krueger’s fightback soon tested that edge.

As the second set unfolded, Krueger raised her game, firing flat backhands down-the-line to seize a 5-2 lead and force Keys into a scramble. The shift came quick, the crowd’s hum building with each error from the ninth seed, turning a routine win into a psychological tug-of-war. Keys, drawing on the tournament’s high stakes, simplified her approach to claw back momentum.

Keys resets to seize second-set momentum

Trailing deep in the second, Keys leaned into basics, trading riskier inside-in shots for deeper crosscourt rallies that disrupted Krueger‘s rhythm. She broke serve twice in rapid succession, her slice backhands skidding low to pull the set to 7-5 and secure the match. This rally not only preserved her title defense but echoed the mental fortitude needed for a season stretching from these sun-baked courts to Wimbledon’s greens.

“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,” she reflected. “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.” The win positions her for a third-round clash, where sustaining this resolve could propel her deeper into the draw.

Pegula imposes control in swift takedown

Across the grounds, sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula faced McCartney Kessler in another U.S. matchup, but delivered a masterclass of efficiency with a 6-0, 6-2 victory. Pegula’s precise inside-out forehands exploited the surface’s speed, pinning Kessler behind the baseline and limiting her aggressive returns. Her varied serves, mixing flat power with spin, kept the younger player guessing from the outset.

The lopsided scoreline masked Kessler’s early fight, but Pegula’s composure turned potential rallies into quick points, conserving energy for the rounds ahead. This straight-sets dominance highlights her tactical poise, honed through a tour demanding consistency amid rising expectations for American women. Pegula advances with momentum intact, eyeing a path through a bracket alive with possibilities.

Men’s seeds steady as Djokovic awaits

In the men’s draw, eighth-seeded Ben Shelton powered into the third round, overwhelming Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 with booming lefty serves and deep returns that set up his heavy forehands. The home crowd’s cheers for Sweeny couldn’t mask Shelton’s focus, his one–two combinations thriving on the hard court’s predictability. This emphatic win eases early pressure, signaling his growth in a season of big swings.

Fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti outmaneuvered compatriot Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, using one-handed backhand slices to counter power with finesse in extended baseline exchanges. No. 15 Karen Khachanov followed suit, dismissing Nishesh Basavareddy 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 through flat groundstrokes that built leads with clinical depth. These advances keep the top half balanced, the psychological undercurrents of Melbourne’s history adding weight to each step forward.

Looming over the day, fourth-seeded and 10-time champion Novak Djokovic prepared to meet Francesco Maestrelli, a test blending legacy with underdog fire on courts that reward his all-court mastery. For Keys and Pegula, these triumphs amid national rivalries forge early confidence, setting the stage for deeper runs where every point sharpens the edge against the field’s elite.