'We're going to go live': Pegula, Keys bring podcast banter, dessert debates to Round of 16

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The Australian Open fourth round match between defending champion Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula isn't a just an All-American matchup between two top 10 players for a spot in the quarterfinals.

But it's also the matchup of two podcast cohosts. Keys and Pegula, alongside Desirae Krawczyk and Jennifer Brady, star as the hosts of the young Player's Box Podcast. Formed last summer during the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, the group brings their casual humor and a look behind-the-scenes from the their daily lives as professional athletes. 

That humor was on full display during Pegula and Keys' post-match press conferences after their respective third-round wins over Oksana Selekhmeteva and Karolina Pliskova. The American stars pondered potential plans to get the podcast involved with the matchup. 

"We're going to go live," Pegula joked. "Maybe we should tell Des (Krawczyk). She's here. She can go live on the pod during our singles match."

The group plans to record Sunday, Jan. 25, and as for any trash talk, Pegula joked on reserving a segment for that, though Keys, laughing, said neither of them trash talk very well. 

"We're both going to try to think of something to kind of commemorate this moment," Keys said. 

Pegula's idea? She wants to make it into a friendly competition where the loser has to do something of the victor's choice, much to the playful chagrin of Keys. 

"She wants to make me eat her disgusting apple pie with cheese on top of it if I lose, which I said I refuse, so she's going to have to think of something else," Keys said.

"You bake 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 tried to double down and said, 'No, it's amazing.'"

It's been part of ongoing banter between the group from their Thanksgiving episode, where they shared their favorite desserts from the American holiday. The food pairing is common in New England and the Midwest in the United States, and Pegula mentioned in the comments that it's a family tradition.

Both Pegula and Keys have won all their matches at the Grand Slam in straight sets, and their Round of 16 matchup will be their fourth meeting on the WTA Tour. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, where potentially Amanda Anisimova awaits.