Madison Keys stuns Aryna Sabalenka to win thrilling Australian Open final
Madison Keys stuns Aryna Sabalenka to win thrilling Australian Open final
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On a glorious duel of the highest quality in Melbourne, Madison Keys played the greatest match of her life to outhit Aryna Sabalenka and win her first grand slam title, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. Now 29 years old, Keys’s supreme, long-awaited triumph has afforded her the title of the fourth-oldest first time women’s grand slam champion in the open era. She has achieved it in her 46th grand slam appearance, the second highest count for a first-time champion in the open era. Two days after her incredible, instant classic triumph over Iga Swiatek, the world No 2, Keys is the first player to defeat both of the top two players at a grand slam since Svetlana Kuznetsova won the 2009 French Open.
![[Aryna Sabalenka stretches to return the ball to Madison Keys.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3680ddad0312953e707d22104930a45bd5abb737/0_351_6542_3926/master/6542.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
After years of rumours about an endlessly talented young tennis player born in the US state of Illinois, Keys made her long-awaited debut on the WTA tour in April 2009. At 14 years old, Keys had already signed multiple endorsements and a management contract as many tried to get an early piece of the pie. When she defeated Alla Kudryavtseva to become one of the youngest winners in the history of the tour, the hype went into overdrive. To many, she was undoubtedly a future grand slam champion.
![[Madison Keys returns fire in the Australian Open final.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d87a6676b3a4b88b48f05c2e5843de54f32135e3/0_0_5517_3678/master/5517.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
In the following years, as she fell short of the expectations that she and the people around her held on to, there were times when attempting to win tennis matches was paralysing for Keys. In order to move forward, she first had to take a step back and come to terms with the reality that winning a grand slam title might not happen.
