American tennis player Madison Keys won her first ever Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Saturday. The win was a huge victory for Keys, who was ranked No. 19 seed going into the final match. She defeated Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, who was hoping to win the tournament for the third year in a row.
"I have wanted this for so long and I have been in one other grand slam final. It did not go my way and I didn't know if I was ever going to be able to get back to this position to try to win a trophy again," Keys told reporters in her on-camera interview after the winning match. Her voice cracked with emotion as she talked about having to overcome injuries to train for this match.
Her competitor, Sabalenka, is ranked number one in the world for women's single tennis, and number two in the world for doubles tennis. She has already won the Australian Open twice.
But Keys was able to knock the tennis titan off balance with a stunning opening set, eventually winning the whole tournament in the final set, which was tied till the very end.
The long road to Keys victory
Keys' professional tennis debut coincided with her 14th birthday. After winning her first match, she was knocked out of the tournament in the next round. But that did not discourage her: at 14 years old, playing in her second ever tournament, she beat Serena Williams, who had just won Wimbledon earlier that month.
Her early success didn't always translate into success in Grand Slam tournaments. In 2017, she reached the final of the U.S Open, only to lose to Sloane Stephens. It took her seven years to get back to a Grand Slam final – she had reached the French Open and U.S. Open semi finals in 2018, but could not get further than that. Previously, she was among the world's top 50 tennis players, but her ranking fell as she struggled with injuries.
In 2022, she returned to the top 25 in women's single tennis after making it to the semifinals of the Australian Open, but she could not beat Sabalenka, who ended up winning the entire tournament. Three years later, Keys faced Sabalenka again, but this time, the two were the last players remaining.
Keys' rematch came down to the final set of the tournament
Keys was having an incredible run in the Australian Open even before she faced Sabalenka in the final match. She was winning against higher ranked players, like Danielle Collins and world No.2 Iga Świątek, but that didn't guarantee her a win against Sabalenka, the world's No.1 female tennis player.
Keys won her first set against Sabalenka by taking advantage of Sabalenka's nerves. Her incredible serves seemed to always reach their target, while Sabalenka's serve, which had been shaky throughout the tournament, could not find its rhythm in the final match up.
In her second set, Sabalenka's serve became more accurate, and she was able to level the playing field: both players had won one set, and needed to win the third and final set to take home the title.
The final set of the Australian Open had high stakes for both competitors: Sabalenka was aiming for her third straight win in this tournament, something that hasn't happened in over two decades. Keys, a tennis prodigy, was hoping to finally win a grand slam title and cement her place among the greats of women's tennis.
Keys served first in the last set, and Sabalenka matched her game perfectly, locking the score at five to five on serve. A women's grand slam final hadn't been this close since 2012, when Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka.
With the score locked at five-five, Keys needed two points to win the whole tournament, which she did with an extra burst of energy that allowed her to get the better of an exhausted Sabalenka.
"I think we did our best, just Madison was doing incredible and I couldn't do anything in this match," Sabalenka told reporters after the game. "Next time I play Madison I will bring better tennis. Of course, sending love to my team. I love you even though we lost."
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