jake michaels
MELBOURNE, Australia — Sitting in the media room at the Australian Open at 12:55 a.m. on Friday, Madison Keys was in high spirits, fresh from fighting back from a set down to defeat world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in an otherworldly semifinal. He was smiling. She could have been forgiven for taking just a few seconds to celebrate what was, to that point, the biggest victory of her tennis career. But instead, when the two faced off for the trophy some 40 hours later, Keys was already fixated on the seemingly impossible task of ending Aryna Sabalenka’s two-year reign Down Under. .
The American spoke candidly about the heartbreak of losing to Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open semi-finals, before moving on to how she had to approach the match. There were countless mentions of aggression, confidence, initiative and fearless tennis, a play that was a precursor to Saturday night’s final.
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It took Keyes just 2 minutes and 45 seconds to demonstrate his ruthless intent, stepping inside the baseline and smashing the ball crosscourt to secure a break of serve in the first game of the match. An hour and 58 minutes later, he made a similar shot, this time from the other side of the court, to win his first Grand Slam title, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
“I just kept telling myself to be brave and go for it. I’m just going to put it all on the line,” a jubilant Keyes told reporters. “I felt like I was trying to make her lose. I knew that if I didn’t do it, she would. That motivated me to thread the needle a little more.”
That aggressive blueprint Keys laid out in preparation proved to be a formula for success. She knew the best way to take away Sabalenka’s strength was to throw her punches before the world number one had a chance. She refused to let Sabalenka dictate the fight and took control with decisive blows early in the points. She smashed ball after ball, slamming opponents into the net with a depth and ferocity that Sabalenka has rarely faced at Melbourne Park over the past 36 months.
Keys didn’t just rely on aggressive baseline slugging. She skillfully sprinkled in a variety of shots, including provocative drop shots and razor-sharp slices, a style of play that doesn’t really fit into her usual repertoire of powerful ball-strikes. But it all worked to keep Sabalenka on the other side of the court anxious and frustrated. In many ways, it was an offensive masterclass.
“She played very aggressively. Very fast, very deep, very aggressive,” admitted a disappointed Sabalenka, who suffered her first loss at the Australian Open since 2022. The ball came back…I couldn’t really play my aggressive tennis. ”
The keys weren’t perfect. She took a set point at 5-1 in the first game, but failed to serve out in the next game. She was broken early in the second frame and entered a worrying slump that lasted several matches. But when the match had to be won after a tense final set, Keys refused to back away from his pre-match vow to play with determination and confidence.
The world No. 14 played a near-perfect final game, calmly holding his serve and leading 6-5. Sabalenka shook her head in disbelief as Keys hit a brilliant return winner down the line. She then scrambled from one side of the baseline to the other, forcing Sabalenka into an error. She then delivered the final blow worthy of another winner, covering her mouth with her hands in disbelief that her childhood dream had come true.
“Ever since I was little, I felt that if I didn’t win a Grand Slam, I wouldn’t be able to live the life that people thought I should live. That was a pretty heavy burden to carry,” Keys revealed. Ta. The Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy sat beside her. “I finally got to the point where I was okay with it even if it didn’t happen. I didn’t have to think that I had a good career or that I deserved to be talked about as a great tennis player.
“I feel like I was finally able to let go of that internal talk and actually be able to go out and play really good tennis…actually win a Grand Slam.”
There was a sense of irony that Keys’ big breakthrough was against a woman she had long admired and even tried to model certain aspects of her game after. It was poetic that she said that the reason she won was because of the lessons she had learned from watching and playing against Sabalenka over the years.
“What really made me want to get better was trying to emulate the way she trusted her game,” Keys told reporters two days after the final. “What’s really impressive is her mentality. Her ability to always go for it, no matter what the score is. She plays very fearless tennis and has the ability to play very well like that. I think it’s very unique.”
There were signs Keys was in good shape heading into Melbourne Park. The 29-year-old overcame injuries that plagued her 2024 season and performed well at the Auckland International. Two weeks later, she won the Adelaide International, defeating compatriot Jessica Pegula in a three-set final. But even with that performance, no one thought she would be the last woman to stand in the first Grand Slam of the year.
Keys collected all kinds of records in Saturday’s win over Sabalenka. She became the first woman in 16 years to defeat the top two seeds in a major tournament. Her five three-set wins throughout the tournament tied the record for most wins in a Grand Slam. She also played in the most matches of any woman competing for a major title. But her victory was just a reward for her persistence, as Keys won her 46th Grand Slam appearance, making her the third-most appearance in tennis history on her way to winning her first major crown.
“I always believed I could do it,” Keyes said. “I don’t know if I ever really had a moment like that. Every time I went into a game, I was just going to play the way I wanted to play and really give of myself if I could play the way I wanted to play.” Gradually I started to gain confidence because I had a chance to win.
“I feel like it’s a slow build-up. All of a sudden we were winning a lot of games in Adelaide and then we started coming here. I think winning against Iga the other day was great.” It was a really big hurdle, so I felt like I could definitely win on Saturday. ”
