In the Australian Open final on Saturday, Madison Keys of the United States defeated Belarus’s two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to win her first Grand Slam title at the age of 29.
Keys became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to upset both of the top two WTA players at Melbourne Park when she defeated the top-ranked Sabalenka and eliminated the second-ranked Iga Swiatekin in the semifinals on Thursday, saving a match point in the process.
After finishing second at the 2017 U.S. Open, Keys, who is ranked 14th and seeded 19th, was competing in her second major final.
She stopped Sabalenka from winning her fourth major championship overall and her third consecutive women’s trophy at the Australian Open, a feat last achieved by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
When it was over, Keys put her hands over her face and then lifted her arms. Before sitting on the sideline bench and smiling, she was soon giving hugs to her husband, Bjorn Fratangelo, who has been her coach since 2023, and other team members.
After that, Sabalenka threw away her racket and wrapped a white cloth around her head.
Alexander Zverev will face defending champion Jannik Sinner in the men’s final on Sunday. Zverev is seeded No. 2, and Sinner No. 1.
After 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic withdrew due to injury, Zverev proceeded, while Sinner defeated American Ben Shelton in the semifinals.
Since Flavia Pennetta, who won the 2015 U.S. Open at the age of 33, Keys is the oldest woman to win a major championship for the first time. Keys made her 46th Slam appearance, which is third in the Open era in terms of major events played before a trophy is awarded, after Pennetta’s 49 and Marion Bartoli’s 47 at Wimbledon in 2013.
Sabalenka, who was more experienced, was initially less confident. In the opening set, Sabalenka’s four double-faults and 13 total unforced errors contributed to Keys breaking three times.
Do not assume that this was just another case of Sabalenka being her own worst enemy.
Keys undoubtedly played a significant role in how things were developing as well. In that first set, she outhit the big-hitting Sabalenka several times from the baseline, giving her an 11–4 victory margin.
For a while, it appeared that every shot off Keys’ racket strings—which she had switched to before the season to cushion her frequently injured right shoulder and to help her control her enormous power—was landing exactly where she wanted it to.
close to a corner. on a line. Beyond Sabalenka’s grasp.
The way Keys, whose left thigh was wrapped for the game, covered the entire court and hurried to catch balls and purposefully toss them back over the net was also crucial. During a brilliant defensive move, she ran for a forehand that dragged Sabalenka’s forehand into the net, ending a break and giving her a 4-1 lead.
Unafraid to show her emotions during a match, Sabalenka often showed her fury by kicking a ball after a volley, dropping her racket after an overhead, and striking her knee after a mishandled forehand.
Before the second set, Sabalenka went to the locker room, and it’s unclear if it helped her decompress, delayed Keys’ momentum, or both. The final’s complexion quickly shifted. In the second set, Keys’ first-serve percentage dropped from 86% in the first to 59%. In the second set, Sabalenka increased her winning count to 13 and started to accrue and convert break points.
In the second, Sabalenka shook her left fist and gritted her teeth as she moved to the bench after forcing an error by Keys with a backhand down the line, giving her a break and a 2-1 lead.
Sabalenka looked toward her team and marked the moment with a long, loud yell when she broke again to lead 4-1.
There wasn’t even a break point until the very last game, when Keys produced a stunning forehand victory, and the action was frantic and tight by the time the fourth set arrived.