Madison Keys came as a surprise Australian Open winner to some, but not Jessica Pegula who predicted the outcome of the Melbourne major.
Keys made history at the Australian Open, with the American winning her first Grand Slam title after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
This has enabled Keys to make American tennis history, with the 30-year-old reaching a career-high ranking despite not competing since January.
After missing tournaments in Doha and Dubai, Keys will return at Indian Wells with a different set of expectations on her shoulders.
Most people remember the American’s victory in Melbourne, but Keys began her winning streak prior to the Australian Open.
Madison Keys reveals what Jessica Pegula text her before the Australian Open
Keys beat Pegula to win the Adelaide International in a three set final, with the runner-up full of praise for her opponents level at the time.
When speaking on the Rennae Stubbs tennis podcast, Keys revealed that Pegula actually messaged her after that match to say that she could win the Australian Open if she continued to play that well.
The Australian Open champion also suggested that she was playing even better in Adelaide than in Melbourne, something that Keys’ coach has also said.
“She texted me after that match, we travelled together as well, but she texted me and I got this long message as we were meeting each other at the airport and she was like ‘No you don’t understand, you are playing unreal’,” said Keys. “She was like ‘You don’t get it, it’s like unreal tennis, just do that again’. She was like ‘I’m not even sad that I lost because that was insane’.
“I definitely felt like I was playing really well. I almost felt like I was playing better in Adelaide than Melbourne. I was playing unreal tennis, everything was coming together really easily and I just kind of worked my way through the draw simply.
“But it was one of those weeks where you just think this is my week. So it was one of those things where I was like yeah I’ve been working hard, but that was a good week.
“But it was funny after I won, she was like ‘I feel like I am very happy for you, but I feel like everyone else is just catching up to where I have been for the past two weeks’. She was like ‘I am not surprised, I just expected this to happen’.”
When could Madison Keys play Jessica Pegula at Indian Wells?
With Keys and Pegula in opposing halves of the draw, both players would have to reach the final to play one another again.
However, Indian Wells has historically not been either players best WTA 1000 tournament, with both Keys and Pegula having a best result of reaching the quarter-finals.
If they were to both to reach the Indian Wells final it would be their fourth meeting, with Keys taking the lead after her Adelaide International victory.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2022 | San Diego Open | Pegula beat Keys, 6-4 7-5 |
| 2023 | US Open | Keys beat Pegula, 6-1 6-3 |
| 2025 | Adelaide International | Keys beat Pegula, 6-3 4-6 6-1 |
Keys will play her first Indian Wells match against the winner of Anastasia Potapova and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, while Pegula will play either Peyton Stearns or Magda Linette in the second round.
The main draw of Indian Wells gets underway on Wednesday March 5, with second round matches taking place from Friday March 7.