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When Madison Keys stepped into Rod Laver Arena at 7:37 p.m. Saturday night before the Australian Open final, she walked right past the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, the trophy that goes to the women’s champion and is placed on a pedestal near the entrance. in court
Key stride not broken. did not stop to look That bit of hardware was then placed near the net for the pre-match coin toss, near where the American stood. Close enough to touch. Close enough to feel real. Also right there was her opponent, No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion at Melbourne Park, who wasn’t going to make things easy on this cool, windy evening.
Exactly 2 1/2 hours — and a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Sabalenka — later, there was Keys, smiling broadly with that silver trophy in both hands, the first-time Grand Slam champion at age 29. the time It was Keys’ second chance to play at a major title: the first ended in a one-sided loss at the 2017 US Open, an experience that taught him he had to be able to play through nerves.
“I wanted this for so long,” said Keys, who was born in Illinois and now lives in Florida, “and I was in another Grand Slam final, and it didn’t go my way, and I don’t know if I’m going to get back to this position.”
Of course it did. At the 2015 US Open, Flavia Pennetta became the oldest woman to win her first Slam title at the age of 33. It is Keys’ 46th Slam appearance, the third most before winning a women’s major title, behind only Pennetta’s 49 and Marion Bartoli’s 47 after winning Wimbledon in 2013.
Keys didn’t take the easy route either.
That three-set win was preceded by a semifinal win against No. 2 Iga Svitek, saving a match point in the semifinals. Not since Serena Williams in 2005 has a player defeated two of the WTA’s top two women at Melbourne Park.
“Madison: Wow, what a tournament,” Sabalenka said.
“Enjoy the celebration,” he told Key. “Enjoy the really fun part.”
Key, seeded 14th and 19th, prevented Sabalenka from claiming a third straight women’s trophy at the Australian Open – which was completed by Martina Hingis in 1997-99 – and her fourth major title overall.
When it’s over, Key covers his face with his hand, then lifts his arm. Soon, she was hugging her husband, Bjorn Frangelo – who has been her coach since 2023 – and other members of her team, before sitting down on the bench next to her and laughing.
Sabalenka clutched her racket, covered her head with a white towel and left the court briefly before returning to the post-match ceremony.
“I just needed to … take that time off for myself and forget and … respect,” Sabalenka later explained. “Just wasn’t my day.”
Keys broke three times in the first set, helped somewhat by Sabalenka’s four double-faults and 13 total unforced errors. But don’t think this was just an example of Sabalenka’s own undoing.
The keys had a lot to do with the way things were going. She compiled an 11-4 edge in the opening set winners, managing to out-hit the big-hitting Sabalenka repeatedly.
For a while, it seemed as if every shot that went off the string of Keys’ racket — which he switched to earlier this season at Fratangello’s request, to protect his oft-injured right shoulder and make it easier to control his considerable power — was landing exactly where he wanted it. .
near a corner in a line. The 26-year-old Sabalenka from Belarus is out of reach.
Also important was the way the left thigh was taped for the match, covering every part of the court, getting to the ball and sending it back over the net with intent. In a terrific defensive sequence, he ran for a forehand that drew a forehand into the net from Sabalenka, breaking for a 4-1 lead.
Never one to hide her emotions, Sabalenka kicked a ball after faking a volley and dropped her racket after an overhead miss.
He went to the locker room before the second set, and whether that helped clear his head or slowed Key’s pace — or both — the complexion of the final soon changed. Key’s first-serve percentage dropped from 86% in the first set to 59% in the second. Sabalenka increased her winning total to 13 in the second set and began to collect and convert break points.
When she sent a backhand down the line to force a Keys error for a break and a 2-1 lead in the second, Sabalenka shook her left fist and gritted her teeth. The action in the third set was tight and tense, without a single break point until the last game, when Keys hit a late forehand winner.
Here’s how close it was: Key won by just one point over Sabalenka, 92-91. Both finished with 29 winners.
Keys had to wait for this moment, yes, but it arrived.
