Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula keep cool to reach Aussie Open 4th round

MELBOURNE, Australia — 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.

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There was an all-American encounter Saturday as well — fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova beat Peyton Stearns 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the round of 16.

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 32 C (89 F). Play was eventually suspended briefly under the extreme heat rules at the tournament, however, while the roofs on Rod Laver, John Cain and Margaret Court Arenas were shut, which forced a delay in play. The outside courts were also suspended as the forecast was for searing temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 Fahrenheit.

“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.

Among the Americans featured in early matches Saturday, Eliot Spizzirri had 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 up a break in the third set of his third-round match against two-time defending champion and second-seeded Jannik Sinner, who was struggling with cramping when play was stopped for several minutes to allow the roof on Rod Laver Arena to be closed.

A match on John Cain Arena was also suspended while the stadium roof was closed. All matches stopped on outside courts when the tournament’s heat index hit 5 were expected to be on hold for at least three hours.

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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.