Jessica Pegula, who defeated Amanda Anisimova and Keyes, set up a U.S. quarterfinal in Melbourne.
Published January 26, 2026
Hours after defending women’s champion Madison Keys lost to Jessica Pegula, Jannik Sinner defended her title and booked a place in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
The Italian defeated compatriot Luciano Daldelli in three sets on Monday to book his place in the last eight.
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Keys, who won his first Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park last year, had no such luck against his compatriot, close friend and podcast partner Pegula, who won 6-3, 6-4.
Pegula will be competing again for the All-Americans, this time against the powerful Amanda Anisimova, who defeated China’s Wang Xinyu 7-6(4), 6-4 on a hot afternoon.
The victory in the fourth round on the ninth day marks the first time four Americans have reached the women’s singles quarterfinals in Australia since 2001, when Serena and Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport reached the final eight.
Pegula and Anisimova advanced a day after world No. 3 Coco Gauff and 18-year-old Iva Jovic earned spots on the opposite side of the draw.
Meanwhile, six-time major champion Iga Swiatek ended qualifier Madison Inglis’ fairytale losing streak and booked a place in the quarterfinals against fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina.
The Polish second seed, aiming for his first title in Melbourne, was in a different class than the Australian, who suffered a crushing 6-0, 6-3 defeat at Rod Laver Arena.
Inglis’ “life-changing” run came to an end when Naomi Osaka withdrew from the third round due to injury, forcing her to play in the prime-time match.
However, as expected, Swiatek was on a mission and her tournament went no further.
“I was pretty confident from the start,” said Swiatek, who has won the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon four times, but has yet to lift a trophy in Melbourne.
Last year, she made it to the final four, but couldn’t get past Keys.
In the men’s draw, Sinner won 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) and will face either eighth-seeded Ben Shelton or 12th-seeded Casper Ruud for a spot in the semifinals.
World No. 2 Djokovic is seeking to win the Melbourne crown for the third year in a row, something only Novak Djokovic has achieved in the Open era (since 1968).
Djokovic and Sinner are on track for a big showdown in the last four.
“It was very difficult. We are good friends off the court,” Sinner said of the hard-hitting Dardelli, who showed some late resistance.
Sinner said his hard work paid off as he hit 19 aces in the match.
“I’ve certainly gained more confidence (in my serve). There’s still room for improvement, but I’m happy to be back in the new season.”
Lorenzo Musetti defeated No. 9 Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in Australia.
Musetti, seeded fifth, had his match suspended after one of his coaches and his physiotherapist had to return to Italy for personal reasons. Even after the birth of her second son in November, she had to leave her family behind.
His next assignment will be against the resting Djokovic. The 24-time major champion was scheduled to compete in Monday’s feature night match at Rod Laver Arena, but was given a bye to advance to the quarterfinals after his opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew from his scheduled fourth-round bout with an abdominal injury.
