Madison Keys upsets defending champion Aryna Sabalenka to claim the Australian Open title

Aryna Sabalenka has been stopped in her tracks from completing a historic three-peat in Melbourne. Just one victory away from glory, American seed Madison Keys snatched the opportunity from the hands of the World No.1. In a thrilling encounter at the Rod Laver Arena, Keys, who had overcome World No.2 Iga Swiatek in the semi-final, continued her top-notch form to stun Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. At 29, Madison Keys has now won the first ever Grand Slam title of her career. Moreover, the upset in the Australian Open final has ended Sabalenka's streak of remaining unbeaten in 20 matches in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Keys, who began her season by clinching the Adelaide International title, extended her streak to 12 wins this season. Sabalenka's impressive run of 11 victories this season, including her title-winning campaign at the Brisbane International, was halted by the American on Saturday.

Madison Keys wins her first Grand Slam title as she overturns Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final

Aryna Sabalenka dropped her first set in Melbourne since the 2023 Australian Open final during her quarter-final clash against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Meanwhile, the Belarusian marked Australia as her hunting ground, winning the 2024 title as the defending champion in a season where none of her opponents managed to win even a single set against her. Showcasing her mastery on hard courts, Sabalenka claimed the 2024 US Open title, taking her Grand Slam title tally to three. 

Heading into the 2025 edition, Sabalenka played with the poise and dominance expected of a top seed, positioning herself as the favorite to achieve a three-peat in Melbourne, a feat last accomplished by Martina Hingis in 1999. After comfortably dispatching opponents like Sloane Stephens and Clara Tauson, Sabalenka appeared unstoppable in her quest for a third consecutive title. However, it only took a resurgent Madison Keys to overturn the narrative in Melbourne and disrupt Sabalenka's plans.

Madison Keys took charge as she entered the spotlight by upsetting top-seeded Elena Rybakina to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals. In her bid to win the first Grand Slam title of her career, after narrowly missing out on the 2017 US Open to Sloane Stephens, Keys overpowered second-seeded Iga Swiatek in the semi-final. A semi-finalist at just 19 years old during the 2015 Australian Open, only Aryna Sabalenka stood between Keys and the coveted title in Melbourne. The odds were heavily in favor of Sabalenka, who had established Australia as her second home with her unbeaten record in the country. Moreover, heading into the final, Sabalenka held a commanding 4-1 head-to-head record against Keys.

The 19th seed, however, defied all odds to take the first set against Sabalenka in the Australian Open final. Sabalenka mounted a comeback in the second set, but Keys proved that her opening set victory was no fluke as she clinched the decider at the Rod Laver Arena. The victory will propel Keys to the seventh spot in the WTA Rankings, her career-best showing, as she becomes the first player to defeat both the World No.1 and World No.2 in the same tournament since Elena Rybakina at the 2023 Indian Wells.