In a scintillating duel of the highest quality in Melbourne, Madison Keys played the best match of her life to sound off Aryna Sabalenka and win her first Grand Slam title 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 I did.
The long-awaited victory for Keys, now 29 years old, gave her the title of fourth-oldest Women's Grand Slam Champion in the Open Era. She achieved it in her 46th Grand Slam appearance. This is the second-highest count for a first-time champion in the Open era. No. 2 Keys, who has defeated both of the top two players at a Grand Slam since Svetlana Kuznetsova won the 2009 French Open, came two days after her instant classic victory over Iga Swiatek, the first Keys to defeat. did.
After years of rumors about the endlessly talented young tennis player born in the United States in Illinois, Keys made his long-awaited debut on the WTA Tour in April 2009. Many people tried to get their hands on an early piece of the pie. The hype went into overdrive when she beat Alla Kudryabtseva to become one of the youngest winners in the history of the tour. For many, she was undoubtedly a future Grand Slam champion.
The following year, there was a time when trying to win a tennis match was paralyzed by the keys, because the expectations that both she and those around her held were not met. 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 finally stood up to the pressure as she dominated and dominated Sabalenka, the No. 1 seed and two-time Australian Open champion.
In addition to a longstanding feeling like she didn't fully live up to her talent, Keys finally put her first Grand Slam final nightmare to rest at the 2017 US Open. 6-3, 6-0 by her best friend Sloane Stephens. It was also a key theme in her recovery from that setback, as she learned to embrace the significant nerves that come with these occasions.
Sabalenka's opening stage of the 3rd Australian Open final highlighted how tough all these opportunities are. She was clearly nervous and opened the final with a double fault, then hit a second double fault in her first service game when she broke immediately. While Sabalenka struggled, Keys charged into the match with confidence and belief and served admirably, slamming a forehand as she quickly consolidated her early lead.
Given that Sabalenka is very used to being the most devastating ball striker against almost every opponent she faces, this is an especially difficult match for her. Keys is one of the greatest ball strikers in the history of the sport, and when she destroyed her forehand from the get-go, the sound of the ball erupting from her string drew gasps from the crowd at Rod Laver Arena. She remained committed to the invasion to the end.
With her Australian Open hanging in the balance, Sabalenka forced herself into the match from the start of set two. She eradicated the previous sloppy unforced errors from her game, improved her serve and began to pressure Keys' second serve. The match changed when she finally started forcing keys while running. Sabalenka also showed how she has evolved. She also relied heavily on drop shots to expose Keyes' movements and keep Americans guessing.
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Sabalenka exploded into the third set determined to use his back momentum to break the lock. However, Key responded admirably from the start of the set, performing quite well under pressure early on as she rediscovered her serving rhythm. By the middle of the third set, both rose to the occasion admirably, as both players moved closer to the trophy, the most amazing and fearless first strike of tennis as both players tried to take control as quickly as possible. was combined for.
Keys' quick hold at 5-4 put Sabalenka under pressure on the scoreboard as both players raced through the service game with dominant serving and bold attacks behind the first ball. Keyes dug himself out brilliantly from the 15-30 hole and held serve at 6-5 with two incredible forehand winners as Sabalenka rose to pressure and held serve at 5-5. I did. Once again one game away, Keys stepped up and played the return game of a lifetime, swinging for the fences until the match was over and the Grand Slam trophy was finally hers.
