A Thrilling Match
A thriller at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne saw American Madison Keys upset No. 1-ranked women’s singles player Aryna Sabalenka to win the Australian Open on Saturday. Sabalenka, who was looking to become the first player since Martina Hingis to win three straight Australian Opens, fell to Keys, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, in the match, which gave her opponent her first-ever Grand Slam title.
After shaking hands with Keys, Sabalenka let out her emotions on her racket, slamming it and throwing it at the bench. She then covered her face with a towel before storming off into the locker room. Sabalenka admitted that she was a bit frustrated and that she “just needed to throw those negative emotions” off by literally taking it out on her racket.
However, Sabalenka seemed to have let go of her emotions, as she was seen joking with her team after the loss. She also gave a speech to her team, saying “As always, that’s your fault guys… I don’t wanna see you for the next week. I really hate you. No thank you for everything you are doing for me and blah, blah, blah.” She then addressed Keys, saying she did their best but simply couldn’t do anything in the match.
Keys, 29, said it was “unbelievable” playing against Sabalenka and that she never thought she’d win a Grand Slam despite coming close in the past. She revealed that she used to carry the burden of not winning a Grand Slam, but she eventually came to accept that she didn’t need it to feel proud of her career and herself.