MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Madison Keys of the United States defeated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 at the age of 29 in the Australian Open final on Saturday night I collected my first Grand Slam title.
By adding this win over No. 1 Sabalenka to the elimination of No. 2 Iga Swiate in Thursday's semifinals – saving a match point along the way – Keys becomes the first since Serena Williams in 2005 These are the top two women in the WTA at Melbourne Park.
Keys, ranked 14th and 19th, was playing in his second major final after finishing runner-up at the 2017 US Open.
She prevented Sabalenka from winning her third women's trophy in a row at the Australian Open. This was last achieved by Martina Hingis from 1997-99 – and her fourth major title overall.
When it was over, Key covered her face with her hands and then raised her arms. Soon, she was hugging her husband Bjorn Fratangelo (her coach since 2023) and the rest of her team, then sitting on her sideline bench and laughing.
Sabalenka then racketed and covered her head with a white towel.
The men's final is on Sunday with defending champion Jannik Sinner against Alexander Zverev. Sinners sow Zverev No. 2.
Sinner eliminated American Ben Shelton in the semi-finals, and Zverev advanced when 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic stopped playing due to injury.
Keys is the oldest woman to become a first-time major champion, as she was 33 years old at the 2015 U.S. Open. This was Keys' 46th slam appearance. This ranks as the third most major tournament to win the trophy in the Open Era, behind only Pennetta's 49 and Marion Bartoli's 47 when she won Wimbledon in 2013. has been.
At first it was the more seasoned Sabalenka who swayed. The keys broke 3 times on the first set. This was partially helped by Sabalenka's four double faults and 13 total forced errors.
Don't think for a second that this is just an example of Sabalenka returning to her own.
The key certainly had to do with the way things proceeded. She put together an 11-4 edge for the winner in that first set and was able to outscore Sabalenka, who repeatedly hits hard from the baseline.
For the stretch, it appeared that Key shot every shot off the strings of her racquet – something she switched to before this season to protect her oft-injured right shoulder and facilitate considerable power. Was landing exactly where she wanted.
near the corner. To the line. From Sabalenka's reach.
Also, importantly, his left thigh was taped for the game, covering every part of the court and racing to get to the ball and intentionally send it back over the net. In one great defensive sequence, she sprinted a forehand and pulled a forehand into the net from Sabalenka, taking a 4-1 lead into the break.
Although never hiding her emotions during a match, Sabalenka frequently showed her frustration while trailing on the scoreboard, kicking the ball after netting a volley and missing it over her head, dropping her racquet and making an errant I tapped my foot after the forehand.
Sabalenka traveled to the locker room before the second set. Whether it helped clear her head, slowed down the momentum of the key, or both – Final's complexion immediately changed. The initial service rate of the keys dipped from 86% in the first set to 59% in the second set.
Sabalenka began accumulating and converting, raising his winning total to 13 in the second set.
Sabalenka shook her left fist and brushed her teeth as she walked to the sideline when she sent a backhand to the line and forced an error in the key for a second break. Ta.
When she broke again to go up 4-1, Sabalenka marked the opportunity with a long, loud scream while looking in the direction of her team.
By the time the final set arrived, the action was tight and tense, but not as a single break point until the final game, when the key came with a final forehand winner.
