2025 Australian Open: Madison Keys Stuns Aryna Sabalenka To Win First Major Title

By: Gyang Dakwo

Madison Keys won her first ever grand slam title on Saturday, stunning two-time defending champion and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 2-6 7-5 in a thrilling Australian Open women’s final.

The 29-year-old American initially enjoyed one of those golden days when every part of her game came together perfectly – her serve was immaculate, her returns aggressive and her groundstrokes as powerful as the notoriously powerful Sabalenka – as she raced into an early one-set lead.

But in the second set – as Sabalenka displayed all the qualities that have made her the most dominant hard-court player on the women’s tour – Keys’ easy rhythm deserted her and all the momentum seemed to swing back towards the Belarusian.

Keys has come close to a grand slam title before, reaching the 2017 US Open final and four major semifinals. But none of that pressure seemed to affect her in the final set as she held her nerve, finally broke Sabalenka at 7-5, raised her arms to the sky in celebration before running over to her team, embracing her coach and husband Bjorn Fratangelo.

“I have wanted this for so long and I have been in one other grand slam final. It did not go my way and I didn’t know if I was every going to be able to get back to this position to try to win a trophy again,” she said in her on-court interview afterwards, her voice cracking with emotion. “And my team believed in me every step of the way so thank you so much.

“Last year was so tough with some really bad injuries and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it again and to be here and to have this trophy and to also be able to do it with my husband who is kind of dazed and confused over there, I love you all so much and I cannot wait for more.”

She came into this final on the back of an incredible run through this tournament, sweeping past higher ranked players like Elena Rybakina, Danielle Collins and world No. 2 Iga Świątek, and became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to defeat the world No. 1 and No. 2 seeds at the Australian Open.