Madison Keys battled through injury to beat top seed Jessica Pegula 6-3 4-6 6-1 in the final of the Adelaide International.

In the final of her first appearance in Adelaide since winning the 2022 edition, Keys requested a medical timeout in the second set to treat an upper leg injury.

The 29-year-old did not let the strapping on her left thigh hold her back, though, and closed out the decider with ease to boost hopes she can match her best finish at the Australian Open.

Having reached the semi-finals in Melbourne on two occasions, in 2015 and 2022, Keys offered to dissect the match with her opponent on their upcoming flight west.

“I haven’t been back since 2022,” said Keys in her post-match on-court interview.

“And I was lucky enough to lift the trophy then and now I’m back and I’m holding it once again, so I’m thinking I should just keep coming back to Adelaide. I clearly do well here.”

“Jessie, amazing playing. Way to come out of the gates first week of the year and make the finals. We can discuss the match later when we’re flying together, if you want.”

It was Keys’ ninth title on the WTA Tour and she hit 10 aces to Pegula’s three across the final, with four of those coming in the almost flawless third set.

In the men’s competition, Felix Auger-Aliassime picked up his sixth ATP Tour title, defeating Sebastian Korda 6-3 3-6 6-1.

It was the Canadian’s first outdoor title against an opponent who was playing his first competitive tournament since his recovery from elbow surgery in October.

“Most importantly, thank you to my team, my group, my dad. Thank you for everything. Thank you also to my family back home, my fiancée and her family. It’s the best support you can have as a player. I enjoy working everyday with you all. Let’s push to have a great year.”

Gael Monfils became the oldest man to win a tour-level title since 1977, overcoming Zizou Bergs in straight sets to take the ASB Classic in Auckland.

The 38-year-old has an all-French first-round match-up with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to contend with in Melbourne next week and showed his experience to outshine his Belgian opposition on Saturday.

The 6-3 6-4 victory in New Zealand took a shade over an hour and a half to complete, with Monfils earning breaks of serve early in both sets.

“It means a lot [to win]. Age is a number,” Monfils said in his on-court interview. “But we keep working. I keep believing that I can play high-quality tennis and I have been showing it this week so I am very happy.

“[My first title] was 20 years ago. I still have the passion to play tennis. I feel I [can] still strike the ball very well. Hopefully, many more to come.”

Elsewhere, McCartney Kessler became the third American in a row to pick up the trophy at the Hobart International, as Elise Mertens had to settle for runner-up once more.

The Belgian was beaten in the final by Emma Navarro last season, and again pushed her opponent to a decider on Saturday.

Kessler’s 6-4 3-6 6-0 victory confirmed her second WTA Tour title, after winning Tennis in the Land last summer.

The 25-year-old will hope to take her fine form into Melbourne, where she will face wildcard Zhang Shuai in the first round.