Jessica Pegula has been in imperious form throughout her 2026 Australian Open campaign and will step onto Rod Laver Arena on Thursday for her first-ever semifinal appearance at the event. While a formidable challenge awaits in World No. 5 Elena Rybakina, the American will face the test with the backing of her compatriots Madison Keys and Danielle Collins.
Jessica Pegula Gets Madison Keys and Danielle Collins’ Support Ahead of Australian Open Semifinal
Pegula has been one of the standout forces at Melbourne Park in 2026, storming into the semifinals without dropping a single set. Her run gathered further momentum on Wednesday when she overcame compatriot Amanda Anisimova in a blockbuster all-American quarterfinal clash.
Pegula was in complete command from the outset, racing through the opening set 6-2 before withstanding a late surge from her compatriot in the second. She held her nerve in the tiebreak, sealing a 7-6(1) victory in just over an hour and a half. The win marked Pegula’s third career Grand Slam semifinal appearance and her first at a major outside the US Open.
The victory extended Pegula’s dominance over her compatriots on the biggest stage, marking her eighth consecutive Grand Slam win against an American opponent. In the process, she became the first American woman since Gigi Fernández in 1993 to defeat three compatriots in a single Australian Open campaign. Moreover, the win pushed Pegula’s perfect WTA Tour head-to-head lead against Anisimova to 4-0.
Pegula will now look to carry her flawless form into a highly anticipated semifinal clash against Rybakina. Ahead of the showdown, the American shared her excitement on social media, posting a series of images from her quarterfinal victory on Instagram. “Can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow night!” she wrote.
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Beyond Pegula’s on-court brilliance, her bright orange adidas Australian Open kit has also caught the eye of fans and players alike. Keys, her compatriot, close friend, and podcast co-host, echoed the sentiment in the comments, expressing her admiration for the outfit. Meanwhile, Collins, who is yet to begin her 2026 season, also appeared to throw her support behind Pegula, reacting with two heart emojis. “That orange is 👌🤌,” Keys wrote.
Pegula and Rybakina enter the semifinal deadlocked at 3–3 in their head-to-head, underlining just how finely poised the contest is. The task will be anything but straightforward for the American, with the Kazakh having built significant momentum late in the 2025 season, culminating in her WTA Finals triumph in Riyadh and now a semifinal appearance in Melbourne.
Notably, their most recent encounter came in the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh last year, with Rybakina eventually prevailing in three sets.
