The Australian open has an unprecedented champion. The American Madison Keys broke the world’s number one, Belarussa Aryna Sabalenka, to win her first Grand Slam (a series that brings together the four top tennis tournaments) in Melbourne.
The current number 14 of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) ranking won 2-1 (6/3, 2/6 and 7/5) and reached the tenth career title. Already in 2025, she had won the WTA 500 of Adelaide, also in Australia.
At age 29, Keys played his second Grand Slam final – the first was in the 2017 United States Open. Until then, the best campaigns in Australian Open had been in 2015 and 2022, when it reached the semifinal.
To reach the decision, the tennis player left four key heads, including number 7 of the ranking, Kazakh Elena Rybakina, whom she won by 2 sets to 1 (6/3, 1/6 and 6/3), and The Polish Iga Swiatek, number 2, in the semifinal. Iga even had the match point, but Keys controlled and became the game, which finished 2-1 (5/7, 6/1 and 7/6), with a closed tiebreak at 10 to 8.
Sabalenka’s way to the final was quieter. She defeated the Russian Mirra Andreeva (6/1 and 6/2) and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (6/2, 2/6 and 6/3) and the Spanish Paula Badosa (6/4 and 6/2).
Belarussa tried the three -time championship in Melbourne, which would also be her second title of the year. She was WTA 500 champion in Brisbane on January 5.
Madison Keys entered the court for this very aggressive and focused Saturday’s decision, breaking Sabalenka’s withdrawal in the first game. With strong right and left and low error scams, the American had the set point after 23 minutes after confirming her services and break the withdrawal of the opponent for the second time.
With a beginning below expectations, Sabalenka outlines a reaction after saving Keys’s set point and returning one of the breaks, but the ranking number 14 closed the first set 6/4 with a parallel to the right of Belarussa.
In the second set, the games were much more disputed. Keys had difficulty confirming his services against a world number one that gradually returned to the match. Nor did the Americana get over the rival’s withdrawal, which gave no break and made 6 to 2 to draw the game.
The third and last set was more sober but no less exciting. Both confirmed their withdrawals without any chance of breaking for the opponent until the last game, where Keys had two match points. In the first, the ball came out. The second she took advantage of an indefensible right-wing beat to become champion.
For the title, Keys takes the $ 3.5 million award (equivalent to $ 13.1 million). Sabalenka, as runner-up, receives $ 1.9 million Australian ($ 7.1 million).
