Jessica Pegula is the only top-10 player competing in Austin this week (Image: Getty)
has had her say on a strange rule that stopped one of her rivals from playing this week’s ATX Open. Only one top 10 player is allowed to compete at each WTA 250 event.
Madison Keys signed up to this week’s tournament in Austin while ranked outside the top 20 but she re-entered the top 10 after winning her first Grand Slam title last month. Pegula had already signed on as the tournament’s sole top 10 player, meaning when she rose to No. 5 in the world.
Tournament entry lists come out six weeks before an event takes place, meaning Keys was ranked No. 21 in the world when she signed up for the ATX Open.
The 30-year-old enjoys playing on home soil and the WTA 250 in Austin would have served as the perfect preparation for the upcoming 1000-point events in Indian Wells and Miami.
But, after at the , Keys re-entered the top 10 and was forced to pull out of the ATX Open as a result. WTA rules mean only one player inside the top 10 can compete at a 250.
Current world No. 4 Pegula was the player who got this spot in Austin, and she’s been making the most of it. Now through to the quarter-final, the American shared her thoughts on the top 10 rule after keeping Keys out of the draw.
“It’s so hard to say because you can see both sides, right?” she started.
Madison Keys re-entered the top 10 after winning the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
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“I mean, sometimes there are small tournaments before, and if it was like a big week, like here before Indian Wells, you could have a couple of top-10 players.
“Maybe that doesn’t benefit the lower-ranked players who are getting into these tournaments and trying to gain points and momentum to work their way up to the bigger tournaments.
“But then, at the same time, it’s always tough when something like that happens, like with Madi, and she’s not able to play.”
However, the six-time title winner believes Keys isn’t too fussed about missing the Austin Open.
Pegula added: “Although I will say, I think that it was a pretty extreme, kind of rare circumstance, so I don’t think she’s killing herself over it, you know? She won the , so I think she’s pretty happy.”
Organisers of the ATX Open had been following Keys’ incredible run at the and continued to post about her on social media, anticipating that she would play in Austin as normal.
But they were forced to issue an awkward statement when the Aussie Open winner’s ranking became too high for her to compete.
“As a 250-level tournament, the ATX Open is permitted to feature just one Top 10 player unless the defending champion returns as a Top 10 ranked player,” it read.
“When we entered an agreement with Madison, her ranking was World No. 21. Now with her title wins in both Adelaide and Melbourne, her ranking has moved to World No. 7. As a result of her new ranking, Madison will, unfortunately, not be able to compete in this year’s ATX Open.”
Keys has since jumped up to a new career-high of No. 5 in the world. She is expected to return to action in Indian Wells.