Jessica Pegula recently revealed the reason why she was highly driven to clinch the victory in her fourth-round match against defending champion Madison Keys at the Australian Open. Her win against Keys holds significance, as the Bills heiress is relieved she won the friendly wager she made with the former, who will now have to try cheddar cheese on apple pie.
Jessica Pegula Reflects on Why She Was Determined To Win Her Clash Against Madison Keys, Revealing Their Bet
After a confident buildup at Brisbane International, where she advanced to the semifinal round after defeating Anna Kalinskaya, Dayana Yastremska, and Liudmila Samsonova, the World No. 6 entered the first Grand Slam of the season, sharing the draw with Amanda Anisimova and others.
She delivered impressive performances at Melbourne Park, defeating Anastasia Zakharova, McCartney Kessler, and Oksana Selekhmeteva, before surpassed her close friend in the fourth round.
Considering their fourth-round battle, Pegula and Keys had made a friendly bet: Pegula would wear a Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift Chiefs jersey if she lost, and if Keys lost the match, then she would have to try cheddar cheese on apple pie.
During the post-match press conference, Pegula reflected on her relief, highlighting the conversation she had with Iva Jović, and said she was inspired to clinch the victory to avoid having to wear the Chiefs’ jersey.
She expressed, “That was bad. She was ‘mine’s worse’. I was like, ‘what are you talking about? My family owns the Bills, this team has owned us in the postseason, absolutely not, by far worse’.
“I saw Iva Jović in the locker room before I went on and she was, ‘If you lose that’s way worse, wearing the Chiefs jersey’. I’m like ‘She just has to eat a piece of pie what is the big deal’? So, I think that was some really some extra motivation because that would have been a tough moment for me,” Pegula added.
After her victory, Pegula wrote the message in the lens, mentioning, “No Chiefs jersey today,” whereas Keys, who will have to try the combination, light-heartedly expressed, after the match, “A bet is a bet, so I’ll do it. I hope it’s less gross than I think it’s going to be, but we will find out, I guess.”
Pegula’s pie bet comes from her family’s Thanksgiving traditions, which include apple pie with melted cheddar cheese on top, giving it a sweet-and-savoury flavour. Coming into her quarterfinal match, Pegula is set to face Anisimova, against whom she leads their head-to-head with 3-0.
