Pegula stays undefeated vs. fellow American Krueger; Keys rallies in Rome

Two Americans seeded in the Top 5, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, picked up second-round wins at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Thursday.

Rome: Draws | Scores | Order of play

No. 3 seed Pegula increased her perfect record against her compatriot Ashlyn Krueger with a 6-4, 6-2 second-round victory in the afternoon.

Later in the evening, No. 5 seed Keys fought off a pair of set points at 5-2 in the first set and notched a 7-6(4), 6-1 win over top Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva after two hours of play.

Pegula maintains perfect record over Krueger

Pegula and World No. 37 Krueger have met five times, all in the last two years, and Pegula has prevailed on each occasion without the loss of a set. This time around, Pegula needed 1 hour and 29 minutes to clinch victory on the clay of the Foro Italico.

World No. 4 Pegula picked up her 28th win of the year by ousting Krueger. Only World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has more tour-level main-draw match-wins than Pegula in 2025 (Sabalenka has 32 this year).

Pegula will now face No. 25 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium in the third round on Saturday. Mertens has been a challenging opponent for Pegula -- the Belgian won their first three career meetings, but Pegula beat Mertens for the first time at this year's Australian Open.

Both players saved multiple break points in the middle portion of the first set before Pegula's strong returning gave her a 5-4 advantage and a chance to serve for the opener. Pegula needed five set points before consolidating her break and taking the one-set lead.

Another lengthy game proved to be critical in determining the result. An eight-deuce game at 2-2 in the second set eventually went Pegula's way as she converted her fourth break point of that tussle with a winning backhand down the line.

Pegula breezed home from there, winning the final five games of the match. Pegula's 24 winners doubled Krueger's 12, and the No. 3 seed sent Krueger's career record against Top 10 players to 1-8. Krueger's one Top 10 win came earlier this year over Elena Rybakina in Miami.

Keys turns around first set en route to victory

Reigning Australian Open champion Keys initially found herself far behind on Thursday, ceding a quick lead to World No. 65 Gracheva and having to erase two set points during a tough hold for 5-3.

But Keys eventually reclaimed the form that earned her a first Grand Slam title Down Under in January, breaking Gracheva at love in the next game.

The duo moved into the tiebreak, where Gracheva misfired long on a makeable volley to give Keys a 5-4 lead. The American was more than willing to accept that opportunity and she served out the topsy-turvy set after 72 minutes.

The second set was marked by an extremely long game at 2-1, containing 11 deuces. Keys at last closed out the game with a forehand winner to break Gracheva for 3-1, and the World No. 6 never looked back.

Keys, the Rome runner-up to Serena Williams in 2016, will meet another American in the third round. Keys will face Peyton Stearns, who upset No. 28 seed Anna Kalinskaya earlier on Thursday. 

In their only prior meeting, Stearns advanced past Keys via retirement in Toronto last year.