Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys are two of the most popular players on tour and have enjoyed stellar seasons in 2025.
Pegula, a runner-up at last year’s US Open, has won three tour-level titles in 2025 and is the only player in the women’s game to have done so on three different surfaces.
Her fellow American, Keys, won her maiden Grand Slam title this year, stunning Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in back-to-back matches to seal victory in Melbourne.
The pair faced off in a WTA final right before the Australian Open began, battling it out for the title in Adelaide.
Pegula and Keys have now revealed what they were messaging each other about on the morning of the final.
Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys were trying to sort flights to Melbourne right before Adelaide final
During the latest episode of ‘The Player’s Box Podcast’, Pegula and Keys recalled a discussion they had before the Adelaide International final.
“Jess [Pegula] and I played in the finals of Adelaide this year, and we finished the match. We were both trying to rush to get to Melbourne and figure things out,” said Keys.
“Before the match, we were texting the morning of our final. ‘Hey, should we just fly together to Melbourne? We can just split it, we’ll finish our match, and what time do you think we can get to the airport?”
Pegula explained how concerned she was about not making it to Melbourne in time.
“Obviously, I know we’re going to go out there and compete; we were trying to get to Melbourne, there were no flights,” she said.
“I played Monday, so I had one day before the Australian Open, and we were trying to decide if we should fly private and just split it with our teams.
“It was just a conversation that needed to happen. We had no other option.”
Keys was victorious in the Adelaide final against Pegula and received a lengthy message from the world number four after the match.
“Jess sent me the longest, nicest message, saying you played unreal today, you could genuinely win the Australian Open,” said Keys.
“I was like, thank you!”
Pegula got her prediction spot on, as Keys won her second title of the year shortly after, extending her winning streak to 12 matches.
Madison Keys’ winning streak
- 2025 ASB Classic QF [LOSS] v Clara Tauson
- 1. 2025 Adelaide International 1R [WIN] v Beatriz Haddad Maia
- 2. 2025 Adelaide International 2R [WIN] v Jelena Ostapenko
- 3. 2025 Adelaide International QF [WIN] v Daria Kasatkina
- 4. 2025 Adelaide International SF [WIN] v Liudmila Samsonova
- 5. 2025 Adelaide International F [WIN] v Jessica Pegula
- 6. 2025 Australian Open 1R [WIN] v Ann Li
- 7. 2025 Australian Open 2R [WIN] v Elena-Gabriela Ruse
- 8. 2025 Australian Open 3R [WIN] v Danielle Collins
- 9. 2025 Australian Open 4R [WIN] v Elena Rybakina
- 10. 2025 Australian Open QF [WIN] v Elina Svitolina
- 11. 2025 Australian Open SF [WIN] v Iga Swiatek
- 12. 2025 Australian Open F [WIN] v Aryna Sabalenka
- 13. 2025 Indian Wells 2R [WIN] v Anastasia Potapova
- 14. 2025 Indian Wells 3R [WIN] v Elise Mertens
- 15. 2025 Indian Wells 4R [WIN] v Donna Vekic
- 16. 2025 Indian Wells QF [WIN] v Belinda Bencic
- 2025 Indian Wells SF [LOSS] v Aryna Sabalenka
The 30-year-old hasn’t enjoyed too much success recently, however, as Keys lost in the first round of the US Open.
Despite the result, Keys still looks set to qualify for the WTA Finals for just the second time in her career.
Why Madison Keys will qualify for the 2025 WTA Finals
The American star currently sits fifth in the ‘Live WTA Race’, one place above her close friend and countrywoman, Pegula.
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Status |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 9,610 | Qualified |
| 2 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 7,533 | Qualified |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | USA | 5,184 | Currently qualifying |
| 4 | Amanda Anisimova | USA | 4,908 | Currently qualifying |
| 5 | Madison Keys | USA | 4,450 | Currently qualifying |
| 6 | Jessica Pegula | USA | 4,209 | Currently qualifying |
| 7 | Mirra Andreeva | Russia | 4,189 | Currently qualifying |
| 8 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan | 3,751 | Currently qualifying |
| 9 | Jasmine Paolini | Italy | 3,526 | Not currently qualifying |
| 10 | Ekaterina Alexandrova | Russia | 2,871 | Not currently qualifying |
She sits in a comfortable position, but doesn’t actually need to be ranked in the top eight to qualify.
The WTA rule book states that any player ranked between ninth and 20th who has won a Grand Slam title within the year gains direct entry into the event.
With a 2,780 point gap separating her and 20th placed Linda Noskova, the likelihood is that we will see Keys line up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the end of the year.
The 2025 WTA Finals are scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 1.
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