Australian Open 2025: Madison Keys upsets World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka to bask into maiden Grand Slam glory

Madison Keys upset world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles final of the Australian Open 2025 to lift her maiden Grand Slam title on Saturday at the Melbourne Park. The 19th seed American won 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. With this loss, Aryna Sabalenka failed to replicate Martina Hingis’ record of three straight Australian Open titles from 1997 to 1999.

Earlier, MadKeys had defeated world no.2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. The 29-year-old thus became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to defeat both of the WTA’s top two players at Melbourne Park. Keys, ranked 14th and seeded 19th, was playing in her second major final after being the runner-up at the 2017 US Open.

Notably, Keys also became the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam since Flavia Pennetta (33) at the 2015 US Open. This was the 46th Slam appearance for Keys, which ranks as the third-most major tournaments before winning a trophy in the Open era, behind only Pennetta’s 49 and Marion Bartoli’s 47 when she won Wimbledon in 2013.

It was the more accomplished Sabalenka who was shakier at the outset. Keys broke three times in the first set, helped in part by Sabalenka’s four double-faults and 13 total unforced errors. Don’t for a moment think this was merely an instance of Sabalenka being her own undoing.

Keys certainly had a lot to do with the way things were going, too. She compiled an 11-4 edge in winners in that first set, managing to out-hit the big-hitting Sabalenka repeatedly from the baseline.

For a stretch, it seemed as though every shot off the strings of Keys’ racket — the one she switched to ahead of this season to protect her oft-injured right shoulder and to make it easier to control her considerable power — was landing precisely where she wanted.

Near a corner. On a line. Out of Sabalenka’s reach. Also important was the way Keys, whose left thigh was taped for the match, covered every part of the court, racing to get to balls and send them back over the net with intent.

On one terrific defensive sequence, she sprinted for a forehand that drew a forehand into the net from Sabalenka, capping a break for a 4-1 lead.

Never one to hide her emotions during a match, Sabalenka frequently displayed frustration while trailing on the scoreboard, kicking a ball after netting a volley, dropping her racket after missing an overhead, slapping her leg after an errant forehand.

Sabalenka took a trip to the locker room before the second set, and whether that helped clear her head or slowed Keys’ momentum — or both — the final’s complexion soon changed. Keys’ first-serve percentage dipped from 86% in the first set to 59% in the second. Sabalenka raised her winner total to 13 in the second set and began accumulating, and converting, break points.

When she sent a backhand down the line to force an error by Keys for a break and a 2-1 lead in the second, Sabalenka shook her left fist and gritted her teeth as she walked to the sideline.

When she broke again to go up 4-1, Sabalenka marked the occasion with a long and loud scream while looking in the direction of her team. By the time the last set arrived, the action was tight and tense, without so much as a single break point until its final game, when Keys came through with one last forehand winner.