Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys are set to face each other in the fourth round of the Australian Open. Ahead of their matchup, Keys shared how she and Pegula will commemorate their match, which drew a reaction from the latter.
The two Americans have met one another thrice previously on the WTA Tour, with Keys winning two of those encounters. Their most recent match was in the final of last year’s Adelaide International, where the Australian Open champion emerged victorious with a scoreline of 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Madison Keys Reveals How She and Jessica Pegula Will ‘Commemorate’ Their Australian Open 4R Match-Up
Keys began her title defense at the Australian Open by defeating Oleksandra Oliynykova in the first round. She then reached the fourth round by triumphing over Ashlyn Krueger and Karolína Plíšková in the second and third rounds, respectively. Meanwhile, Pegula advanced to the fourth round by defeating Anastasia Zakharova, McCartney Kessler, and Oksana Selekhmeteva.
During a press conference, before their fourth-round match at the Melbourne Major, Keys revealed that she and Pegula have decided that the winner of their match can make the loser fulfill any request. The Australian Open champion mentioned that Pegula has suggested she eat “apple pie with cheese on top” if she loses.
However, Keys firmly stated that she absolutely refuses to consume her compatriot’s suggested dish.
“She [Pegula] said whoever loses, the other person can come up with something. She wants to make me eat her disgusting apple pie with cheese on top of it if I lose, which I said I refuse. She’s going to have to think of something else. So we’re both going to try to think of something to kind of commemorate this moment,” Keys said.
The 30-year-old recalled that during a Thanksgiving podcast she did with Pegula, they talked about their favorite foods and desserts, at which point, the latter mentioned “apple pie with cheese on top.” The combination was met with disgust by everyone else on the podcast.
“Yeah, it’s gross. So, we were doing this Thanksgiving podcast, and we were talking about what your favorite foods are, your favorite desserts, whatever. And Jess was like, ‘Yeah, it’s so good. You take an apple pie, you put a piece of cheddar cheese on top of it, and then you microwave it and then eat it.’ She tried to make it sound like it was the most normal thing ever. And we were all just disgusted,” she added.
View this post on Instagram
Responding to Keys‘ aversion to the dish, Pegula explained that eating apple pie with cheese is a “family tradition” for her.
“Ok this was/is a family tradition 😂,” Pegula commented.
It’s also worth noting that Keys and Pegula, along with Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk, co-host a podcast called the “Player’s Box Podcast.”
