MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Madison Keys said she was leaving the Australian Open with her pride intact despite a straight-sets loss to Jessica Pegula in the fourth round and vowed to honor a pre-match bet by eating an apple pie topped with cheese.
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Keys, who dazzled at last year’s tournament by winning her first Grand Slam crown, came out to battle her close friend and said she was happy with how she had handled expectations on her return trip to Melbourne Park.
“It’s obviously not the way I wanted things to end here, but I’m still very proud of myself,” Keys told reporters after her 6-3 6-4 loss on Rod Laver Arena.
“I think coming back, being the defending champion, dealing with all the extra pressure and nerves, I’m really proud of myself for how I handled it.
“It was one of those days where I feel like Jess beat me and I can walk away with my head held high.”
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Keys said he wouldn’t dwell on the loss and was looking forward to the rest of the season.
“I have 11 months left of the year, there is still a lot to be proud of and I am going to go out and work on new things and try to implement them in the next tournament,” he added.
“I’m disappointed, but I’m really trying not to live and die with every win and loss at this point in my career.”
Keys also plans to eat the apple pie to fulfill the bet with her compatriot.
Pegula, whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, would have been forced to wear a rival Kansas City Chiefs jersey if she lost the game and noted that it was an added motivation to win.
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“A bet is a bet, so I’ll take it,” Keys said.
“I hope it’s less gross than I think it will be, but I guess we’ll find out.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa ‌Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)