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Hot weather and early starts no worries for Americans Keys and Pegula at the Australian Open
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Madison Keys of the U.S. waves after defeating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. - photo by AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — 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.