Madison Keys Wins First Ever Grand Slam Title at Australian Open
Madison Keys won her first ever Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Saturday, defeating two-time defending champion and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in a thrilling women’s final.
The 29-year-old American had a golden day on the court, with her serve immaculate, returns aggressive, and groundstrokes powerful as Sabalenka’s. Keys took an early one-set lead, but Sabalenka rallied in the second set, taking control and sending the match into a deciding third set.
Keys held her nerve in the third set, finally breaking Sabalenka at 7-5, and raising her arms in celebration before embracing her coach and husband Bjorn Fratangelo. The victory marks a long-awaited breakthrough for Keys, who has come close to Grand Slam success before but has never quite reached the heights she was expected to.
“I have wanted this for so long and I have been in one other Grand Slam final,” Keys said in her on-court interview, her voice cracking with emotion. “And my team believed in me every step of the way so thank you so much.”
Keys’ impressive run through the tournament included wins over higher-ranked players like Elena Rybakina, Danielle Collins, and world No. 2 Iga Świątek, making her the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to defeat the world No. 1 and No. 2 seeds at the Australian Open.
The victory marked a stunning upset for Sabalenka, who had been seeking to become the first woman for 26 years to win three consecutive Australian Open titles. Despite the loss, she joked with Keys and her team during the trophy ceremony, saying “I don’t want to see you for the next week – I really hate you! Thank you so much for everything and blah, blah blah.”
