American Madison Keys wins her first ever Grand Slam title: NPR

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Madison Keys of the United States celebrates after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Madison Keys of the United States celebrates after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

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Ng Han Guan/AP/AP

American tennis player Madison Keys won her first ever Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Saturday. The win was a huge win for Keys, who was ranked No. 19 in the last game. She defeated Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, who was hoping to win the tournament for the third consecutive year.

“I’ve wanted this for so long and I’ve been to another grand slam final. It didn’t go my way and I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get back to this position to trying to win a trophy again,” Keys told reporters in her on-camera interview after the winning bout. Her voice cracked with emotion as she talked about overcoming injuries to train for this fight.

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Her competitor, Sabalenka, is ranked number one in the world for women’s singles and number two in the world for doubles tennis. She has already won the Australian Open twice, and had lost just one match out of the 34 she had to play to reach the final of this year’s Australian Open.

But Keys was able to knock the tennis titan off balance with a stunning opening match and eventually won the entire tournament in the final set, which was tied to the last.

Madison Keys, right, of the United States is congratulated by Aryna Sabalenka, left, of Belarus after the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Madison Keys, right, of the United States is congratulated by Aryna Sabalenka, left, of Belarus after the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

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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 didn’t deter her: at 14, she beat Serena Williams, who had just won Wimbledon earlier this month, playing in her second ever tournament.

Her early success did not always translate into success in Grand Slam tournaments. In 2017, she reached the final of the US 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 US Open semi-finals in 2018, but couldn’t get further than that. She was previously ranked among the world’s top 50 tennis players, but her ranking dropped as she struggled with injuries.

In 2022, she returned to the top 25 in women’s singles tennis after reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, but she could not beat Sabalenka, who ended up winning the entire tournament. Three years later, Keys met Sabalenka again, but this time the two were the last remaining players.

Madison Keys of the United States hugs the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Madison Keys of the United States hugs the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

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Keys’ rematch came down to the final set of the tournament

Keys had an incredible run at the Australian Open, even before facing Sabalenka in the final match. She won over higher ranked players such as Danielle Collins and world no. 2 Iga Świątek, but that did not guarantee her a win against Sabalenka, world no. 1 female tennis player.

Keys won her first set against Sabalenka by exploiting Sabalenka’s nerves. Her incredible serves seemed to always hit their mark, while Sabalenka’s serve, which had been shaky throughout the tournament, couldn’t find its rhythm in the final game.

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In her second set, Sabalenka’s serve became more accurate and she was able to level the playing field: both players had won a 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 at 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 greatest in women’s tennis.

Keys served first in the final set and Sabalenka matched her game perfectly, locking the score at five to five on serve. A women’s grand slam final had not 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 entire tournament, which she did with an extra burst of energy that allowed her to win over an exhausted Sabalenka.

“I think we did our best, just Madison did unbelievable and I couldn’t do anything in this match,” Sabalenka told reporters after the match. “Next time I play Madison I will bring better tennis. Of course I send love to my team. I love you even though we lost.”