The Daily Star Ireland
Madison Keys emerged as the winner of an exciting finale at the 2025 Australian Open, beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, to seal her first Grand Slam championship. The American, aged 29 years, had made her way through to the final at the US Open in 2017 but had not, until now, picked up a major championship.
The route to the championship for Keys was quite circuitous. Five of her seven matches in the tournament went into a deciding third set, among them the most notable during the semifinals against world No. 2 Iga Świątek, which Keys came from match point down to win in the deciding third set.
In front of Sabalenka, Keys added powerful serves and aggressive baseline play to capture a match against the player who was hoping to win for a third straight year in the Australian Open. She won the first set 6-3, but Sabalenka did fight back to take the second, 6-2. The final set was extremely tight, with both players managing to hold serve until Keys managed a crucial break to lead 6-5 and then served it out to win the championship.
Keys attributed her triumph to a mix of mental toughness and strategic changes. She pointed out the need to reduce internal pressure and credited therapy for helping her handle nerves and stay focused during high-pressure moments. Also, the decision to have her partner, Bjorn Fratangelo, as her coach, plus switching to a larger Yonex racket, were key in helping improve her performance.
The win brought tears of joy to those around Keys. Her good friend and former British No. 1 Laura Robson was tearfully celebrating courtside, reflecting on Keys’ journey and the setbacks she has faced due to injury and other challenges.
On the other side, frustrated Sabalenka briefly left the court and smashed her racket on the ground to show just how much she was expecting from this tournament. Though disappointed, she saluted the superlative form of Keys and promised to come out stronger in tournaments to come.
Madison Keys’ triumph at the Australian Open has marked not only a personal milestone but also an arrival announcement among the cream of women’s tennis. As she proceeds further into the season, the tennis world will be keenly watching to see how she builds upon this success and competes in upcoming tournaments.
