Nineteenth seed Madison Keys pulled off a stunning upset, dethroning two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka with a thrilling 6-3 2-6 7-5 victory in the Australian Open final. It was heartbreak for Sabalenka and sheer tears of joy for Keys in a match to remember!
After just 17 minutes of play, Keys established a commanding double-break lead at 4-1. She maintained her dominance with a love hold and even secured a set point on Sabalenka’s serve in the next game. Although the Belarusian briefly rallied, managing to stay in the set a bit longer with a break of her own, Keys ultimately closed out the set in 35 minutes with a decisive winner, 6-3. In the opening set, Sabalenka managed only four winners compared to Keys’ 11 and committed 13 unforced errors, three more than her opponent.
Sabalenka improved her first-serve percentage as her opponent’s numbers in that area declined significantly. Regrouping in the second set, she surged to a commanding 5-1 lead—mirroring the deficit she faced in the first set. After 45 minutes of play, Sabalenka capitalized on her third set point when Keys narrowly sent a forehand long, securing the set 6-2.
The third set turned into an intense battle, staying on serve until Keys led 6-5. At that point, she earned two break points and…
