Madison Keys delivered once again in a thriller as the No. 19 seed edged out top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 2-6 7-5 to win the Australian Open and become a Grand Slam champion at the age of 29.
Two days earlier, the American saved a match point to upset world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and it should be mentioned that she also beat Elena Rybakina in the round-of-16.
Today, she pulled off another massive win as she prevented Sabalenka from completing a three-peat and becoming the first player since Martina Hingis in 1999 to do so.
As was the case earlier in the tournament, Keys was again extremely aggressive and playing her game – she finished with 29 winners.
Madison Keys© Australian Open/X – Fair Use
Now, eight years after losing to Sloane Stephens in the 2017 US Open final, the 29-year-old American made amends and lifted a Slam title.
On the other side, the 26-year-old Belarusian remains with three Grand Slam titles in her collection.
How Keys overcame Sabalenka?
After the Belarusian sprayed two double faults in the opening game of the match, she ended up losing her serve in the first and fifth games as the No. 19 seed opened a 5-1 lead.
While the No. 1 seed managed to save a set point in the seventh game and get one break back in the following game, the American didn’t panic and claimed another break in the ninth game to seal the opener.
After hitting just four winners and blasting 12 double faults in the opener, Sabalenka stabilized at the start of the second set and she also decided to try to break Keys’ rhythm by going for drop shots.
And it worked after the world No. 1 claimed back-to-back breaks and won five games in a row to go 5-1 before serving out for a decider in the eighth game.
The situation completely changed in the second set as the Belarusian had 13 winners – nine more than in the first set.
After a total of six breaks across the first two sets, not a single break point was seen in the first 11 games of the third set.
Then, Keys earned two consecutive break points in the 12th game – which at the same time were championships – and converted her second with a forehand winner to become a Slam champion.
Tennis World USA