Pegula upbeat about Australian Open hopes despite Adelaide final defeat

Jessica Pegula remained upbeat about her preparations for the Australian Open despite being upset by Madison Keys in the Adelaide International final on Saturday.

Pegula was beaten 6-3 4-6 6-1 in the all-American showpiece, as Keys, who won the Adelaide title in 2022, claimed her ninth WTA crown after a one hour and 43 minute battle.

Keys took the opening set but needed an off-court medical timeout after losing the first three games of the second, returning with her left leg strapped up.

Pegula went on to take the set and force a decider, but Keys responded well in the third, winning the last five games in a row, ending the match with 10 aces and 26 winners.

World number seven Pegula acknowledged she was outplayed by Keys, but was happy with her display ahead of her first round clash against Maya Joint at Melbourne Park.

"I had like, three winners, it was tough," she said. "Maddie hits the ball harder than anyone, she played some amazing tennis.

"This was a good week to start the season for me. I'm excited to keep it going into Melbourne."

Keys, meanwhile, will take on fellow American Ann Li in her opening match at the Australian Open, with her latest victory setting her up nicely for a strong run in the tournament.

@Madison_Keys takes her 9th career title #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/fYIBvddoXu

— wta (@WTA) January 11, 2025

In the men's singles final in Adelaide, Felix Auger-Aliassime captured his first outdoor ATP title after beating American Sebastian Korda.

Auger-Aliassime managed to withstand a rally from his opponent in the second set to comfortably win the decider in just 26 minutes to triumph 6-3 3-6 6-1.

The Canadian ended the contest with 10 aces to his opponents' seven, while also winning 83% of his first-serve points, which proved to be the difference in the contest.

After falling behind in the opening set, Korda traded blows with Auger-Aliassime in the second, eventually finding a break in the eighth game to take the match the distance.

But Auger-Aliassime showcased his class in the decider, earning an early break in the second game before serving out a love game to seal the victory.

Auger-Aliassime faces Jan-Lennard Struff in his first round tie at the Australian Open, while Korda will be looking to respond against Lukas Klein in Melbourne.

Meanwhile, at the Hobart International, McCartney Kessler powered to a second career title after beating second seed Elise Mertens on her debut in the tournament.

Kessler emerged a 6-4 3-6 6-0 victor over her Belgian opponent in two hours and 12 minutes, ending the encounter with an impressive 44 winners.

The pair now head to the Australian Open which begins on Sunday, with Kessler facing Zhang Shuai, while Mertens takes on Swiss qualifier Viktorija Golubic in the first round.