American tennis star Madison Keys won the Australian Open on Saturday, upsetting No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in a tightly contested match. Keys, 29, won 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, finishing with 92 points compared to Sabalenka’s 91.
This was Keys’ first-ever Grand Slam tournament win. She had previously been ranked as high as 7th in the world but had struggled with consistency and injuries, leading to doubts about her ability to win a major title.
Keys has spoken publicly about the pressure she felt to win a Grand Slam, saying it was a “pretty heavy burden” to carry. However, she recently came to accept that she might not win a Grand Slam and instead focus on being proud of her career regardless.
That shift in mindset appears to have given her the confidence to win, as she also took down the No. 2-ranked Iga Świątek in the semifinals. Keys is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to defeat both the WTA’s top two players at Melbourne Park.
This victory comes after 46 Grand Slam appearances, just the third most for a woman prior to her first win. Keys is now among a select group of players who have achieved this feat, along with Flavia Pennetta and Marion Bartoli.