MELBOURNE, Australia — American world No. 6 Jessica Pegula usually prefers to play in Melbourne. She is an aggressive shot-maker who uses the speed of her racquet head to generate tremendous power and propel her opponents around the court.

The Australian Open is her best Grand Slam in terms of consistency; she reached the quarterfinals three times here, while in all other Grand Slams she only reached or passed the quarterfinals four times in total. Quarterfinals.

So when she was defeated in the third round on Friday night by unseeded Serbian Olga Danilovic, it raised some eyebrows.

Pegula said Rod Laver Arena was a different scene on cooler nights compared to other courts, declaring the specialty stadium "slower than clay courts" - given Melbourne Park's lively blue color The venue is usually quite active, which is no mean feat.

Generally speaking, grass courts are the fastest on tour. The lack of friction means shots - especially serves - can be hit without losing too much momentum. Hard courts, such as those used at the Australian Open and U.S. Open, are usually the second fastest, with slight variations depending on the hard court material, followed by clay, which is grippier and more resilient, Good for slower games, more topspin, and fewer winners.

"The conditions were too slow. It felt even slower than clay. The ball was too heavy, and I think that definitely worked in (Danilovic's) favor," Pegula said after the loss.

"Especially when her left forehand hits my backhand, it's really hard. And then, you know, usually I feel like I can get free points with a good return, and I feel like because she hits a lot of lobs - First the serve percentage and then as the conditions slowed down my ball didn't seem to give me any free points."

Danilovich uses more topspin on her golf balls, and she agrees that the Rod Laver Arena surface is slower than the outfield, which suits her style of play, especially at night.

In Melbourne, there is a general consensus that rooftop venues (Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena) can be slower than outdoor venues. By shading the sun and lowering the surface temperature, tennis matches on the featured courts can be played differently. Then there are the variables that night brings. Cooler weather means slower course speeds.

"It's not even the same game as my first round at John Cain Arena. During the day, on this court, it's fast. Playing there at night, it's just not the same," Pegula said.

Pegula isn't the first top player to notice something different in Melbourne this year. Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka commented on the match, saying the ball felt "heavy"; not necessarily related to the weight of the ball, but that it was better suited to taking advantage of the ball than a flat shot. The player who spins the ball.

At last year's Australian Open, Sabalenka was broken just six times in seven games to win her second title in two years. Her playing style is nearly unstoppable, and her tour-leading forehand speed is a major reason why. This year, through three games, she has been broken ten times. She said the combination of course and ball conditions may not suit her best style of play.

"The conditions are pretty tough for the server. It doesn't give you as much of an advantage as usual, and yes, the ball is heavy. The court is a little slow. Sometimes you just have to serve and play the game," she said.

But not all top players agree. Second seed Iga Swiatek didn't notice any difference in the court or ball speed from previous years, but maybe that's because she leads the WTA in spins per minute (RPM), which she also does on clay. The secret to success, and conditions may be more suitable at this year's Australian Open.

"I didn't notice the pitches slowing down. So to me, they were fast anyway. The balls... I remember at the beginning last year, when they were new, they were flying like bullets. You Not particularly, yes, they are too fast in the air and I don’t feel that this year," she said after her 6-1, 6-0 third-round win over Emma Raducanu said.

"But they're still very dynamic and bounce around the court fast. No, I mean, I wouldn't say there's a huge difference."

Men's No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz said that while the temperature on the course may have had an impact on his ball speed in the first three games, there was nothing eye-catching about the course for him.

"As the heat increased, the ball got a little faster. I would say that's why everything was a little trickier than it was in previous games. But I don't think it's because of the court. It's not because of Rod Laver. I'm just like the other guys. The courts found it as well," Alcaraz said.

No wonder 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal used to demand daytime matches in Australia for as long as possible. In addition to thriving in the sun, the extra bounce on warm courts lends itself particularly well to his tendency to generate topspin on the ball.

For Pegula, perhaps next year she will have a message for Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley: Please play only day matches.