Melbourne, Australia– Madison keys From the United States upset the two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka Belarus won 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the Australian Open final on Saturday night to claim her first Grand Slam title at the age of 29.
Add this win over No. 1 seed Sabalenka to the elimination of the No. 2 seed Ega Swiatek And in Thursday’s semifinal — saving a match point along the way — Keys became the first woman to win since then Serena Williams In 2005 to defeat both the best players on the WTA at Melbourne Park.
Keys, seeded 14th and 19th seed, was playing her second major final after finishing runner-up at the 2017 US Open.
It prevented Sabalenka from winning what would have been her third straight women’s title at the Australian Open, something she did last time Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999 – and her fourth major title overall.
When she finished, Keys covered her face with her hands, then raised her arms. Soon she was hugging her husband, Bjorn Fratangelo – who has been her coach since 2023 – and other members of her team, before sitting on the bench and laughing.
Sabalenka then dropped her racket and then covered her head with a white towel.
The men’s final is on Sunday with the defending champions Yannick Siner against Alexander Zverev. Sinner is seeded No. 1, Zverev is No. 2.
Eliminate the American sinner Ben Shelton In the semi-finals, while Zverev advanced when he won 24 Grand Slam titles Novak Djokovic He stopped playing due to injury.
Keys is the oldest woman to become a major champion for the first time since then Flavia Pennetta He was 33 at the 2015 US Open. This was Keys’ 46th Grand Slam appearance, which is the third most Grand Slam appearances before she has won a title in the Open Era, behind Pennetta’s 49 appearances and Marion Bartoli’s 47 when she won a tournament. Wimbledon in 2013.
It was the more accomplished Sabalenka who was initially shakiest. Keys broke her opponent’s serve three times in the first set thanks to four double faults committed by Sabalenka and 13 unforced errors.
Don’t think for a moment that this was just an example of Sabalenka’s decline.
The switches certainly had a lot to do with the way things turned out, too. She combined for an 11-4 advantage in winners in that first set, managing to outmaneuver the hard-hitting Sabalenka repeatedly from the baseline.
For a long time, it seemed as if every shot from the strings of Keys’ racket — the ones she switched to before this season to protect her oft-injured right shoulder and make it easier to control her big power — was falling. Exactly where she wanted.
Around the corner. On line. Out of Sabalenka’s reach.
Also significant was the way Keys, whose left thigh was positioned for the game, covered every part of the court, rushing to reach balls and returning them over the net with intent. In one brilliant defensive sequence, she sprinted to get a forehand winner into the net from Sabalenka, capping the break for a 4-1 lead.
Never able to hide her emotions during the match, Sabalenka often showed her frustration while trailing on the scoreboard, kicking the ball after scoring a volley, dropping her racket after missing an overhead shot, and hitting her shin after a forehand miss.
Sabalenka headed to the locker room before the second set, and whether that helped her clear her head or slow Keys’ momentum — or both — the look of the final quickly changed. Keys’ first serve percentage dropped from 86% in the first set to 59% in the second. Sabalenka raised her total winning points to 13 in the second set and began accumulating and converting break points.
When she sent a backhand down the line to force Keys into a break error for a 2-1 lead in the second set, Sabalenka shook her left fist and gritted her teeth as she walked down the sideline.
When she broke again to take a 4-1 lead, Sabalenka marked the occasion with a long, loud scream as she looked towards her team.
By the time the final set arrived, play was tight and tense, with no break point until the final game, when Keys rallied with a final forehand winner.
