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Madison Keys stuns Aryna Sabalenka to win thrilling Australian Open final

2025-01-25 10:49

On a glorious duel of the highest quality in Melbourne, Madison Keys played the greatest match of her life to outhit Aryna Sabalenka and win her first grand slam title, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

Now 29 years old, Keys’s supreme, long-awaited triumph has afforded her the title of the fourth-oldest first time women’s grand slam champion in the open era. She has achieved it in her 46th grand slam appearance, the second highest count for a first-time champion in the open era. Two days after her incredible, instant classic triumph over Iga Swiatek, the world No 2, Keys is the first player to defeat both of the top two players at a grand slam since Svetlana Kuznetsova won the 2009 French Open.

After years of rumours about an endlessly talented young tennis player born in the US state of Illinois, Keys made her long-awaited debut on the WTA tour in April 2009. At 14 years old, Keys had already signed multiple endorsements and a management contract as many tried to get an early piece of the pie. When she defeated Alla Kudryavtseva to become one of the youngest winners in the history of the tour, the hype went into overdrive. To many, she was undoubtedly a future grand slam champion.

In the following years, as she fell short of the expectations that she and the people around her held on to, there were times when attempting to win tennis matches was paralysing for Keys. In order to move forward, she first had to take a step back and come to terms with the reality that winning a grand slam title might not happen.

Sixteen years later Keys stood up to the pressure at last as she outfought and overpowered Sabalenka, the No 1 seed and two-time Australian Open champion.

Along with years of feeling as if she had not fully lived up to her talent, Keys has also finally put to bed the nightmare of her first grand slam final at the 2017 US Open, where she failed to handle the pressure of the occasion and was defeated 6-3, 6-0 by her close friend Sloane Stephens. Acceptance has also been a significant theme in her recovery from that setback as she learned to accept the significant nerves that come with these occasions.

The opening stages of Sabalenka’s third Australian Open final underlined how tough every one of these occasions are. She was clearly nervous, opening the final with a double fault and then she struck a second double fault in her first service game as she was immediately broken. While Sabalenka struggled, Keys burst into the match with confidence and belief, serving brilliantly and pounding forehands as she immediately consolidated her early lead.

Considering Sabalenka is so used to being the most devastating ball-striker against almost every opponent she faces, this is a particularly difficult match-up for her. Keys is one of the biggest ball strikers in the history of the sport and as she destroyed forehands from the beginning, the sound of the ball erupting from her strings drew gasps from the Rod Laver Arena crowd. She remained committed to her aggression until the very end.

With her Australian Open hanging in the balance, Sabalenka forced herself into the match from the beginning of set two. She eradicated her earlier sloppy unforced errors from her game, she improved her serve and began to pressure Keys’ second serve. As she finally began to force Keys on the run, the match turned. Sabalenka also showed how she has evolved. She also relied heavily on drop shots to expose Keys’s movement and keep the American guessing.

Sabalenka burst into the third set determined to use the momentum at her back to break Keys down for good. But Keys responded brilliantly from the start of the set, serving well under pressure early as she rediscovered her serving rhythm. By the middle of the third set, as both players edged closer to the trophy, they both rose spectacularly to the occasion and combined for the most sublime stretch of fearless first-strike tennis all tournament, both players desperate to take control of every point as early as they possibly could.

As both raced through their service games with dominant serving and bold aggression behind the first ball, Keys’s quick hold for 5-4 put Sabalenka under scoreboard pressure. After Sabalenka responded to the pressure with a nerveless hold for 5-5, Keys fearlessly dug herself out of a 15-30 hole, holding serve for 6-5 with two thunderous forehand winners. One game away once more, Keys stepped up and played the return game of a lifetime, swinging for the fences until the match was over and a grand slam trophy was finally hers.

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