Madison Keys wins Australian Open women’s singles title

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One of the longest journeys to tennis greatness took place at center court of Rod Laver Arena when Madison Keys, the 19th seed, upset top seed Aryna Sabalenka, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, in the women’s singles tennis championship match at the
Australian Open.

The 29-year-old Keys, who turned professional at 16, was considered by most tennis analysts as a good player who couldn’t win a major. She has amassed millions of dollars playing professional tennis but has constantly come up short on too many occasions in the big grand slam matches — the Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. — to be mentioned in the same breath as the Williams sisters and others among the Black tennis elite. Many of her critics would say that she choked too many times to be considered a serious threat to win a major tennis title.

History has now proven those critics wrong in their assessment.

Madison Keys hits an overhead during her Australian Open finals match. PHOTO: COURTESY OF WTA

Madison Keys came into this year’s Australian Open playing some of the best tennis of her career, as witnessed by her 12-match winning streak coming into the first scheduled tennis major event this year. Some people in her camp cited a more relaxed and focused attitude on her part since her recent marriage to her coach, Bjorn Fratangelo. The new Australian Open winner’s opponents expressed the same thoughts. The consensus among the tennis cognoscenti is that Keys is just tougher physically and mentally these days.

I don’t know whether that has to do with her new marriage, or the new team assembled around her coach and trainer, or other factors. But one thing is for sure: This is a different Madison Keys from the last 13 years. She beat the first, second, sixth and tenth seed on her way to glory.

“I have wanted this for so long and I have been in one other grand slam final,” said Keys. “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.”

Keys may frown on that thought, but it is difficult to argue the point after watching her blow through the competition at this Australian Open. From her first match victory over A. Li, 6-4, 7-5, to her title win over Sabalenka, she was dominant. Her tough 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 semifinal victory over second seeded Iga Swiatek was not enough to erase the doubt of her skeptics. Neither was her play in the opening set of her championship match with Sabalenka, which produced a 6-3 advantage. When the defending champion stormed back to take the second set by a 6-2 margin, the stage was set for the dramatic third and final set.

Both competitors fought valiantly, making shot after big shot, to hold serve until Keys took a 6-5 advantage. That left the matter in the hands of Sabalenka, who had the service game in her hands.

For the many times over the last 13 years that Keys had such situations in her grasp and failed to close the show, this moment would be hers for the taking. And she did just that, breaking Sabalenka’s serve for the most historic 7-5 victory of her tennis life to date.

In gaining her first victory in a Grand Slam tennis event, Madison Keys becomes the third Black woman, behind Evonne Goolagong-Cawley and Serena Williams, to win the Australian Open women’s singles title. She is also the first woman since Serena Williams to beat the number one and two seeds on her way to the winner’s trophy.

“There’s no way I’m getting through this without tears,” Keys said after accepting the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

“I made my very first Grand Slam semifinal here so to have won my first Grand Slam in the same place means the absolute world to me.”

Sabalenka was not satisfied with her performance at all. The two-time Australian Open winner explained, “I think when you get to the point of finals, it’s a trophy or nothing. Nobody remembers the finalist, you know? Nobody put, like, next to the winner [the] finalist’s name.”

The 13-year journey of Madison Keys being good but not good enough to win a Grand Slam tennis title is now behind her. With that thought in mind, a couple of questions remain. Could this be a breakthrough for the 29-year-old Keys? And will she win another Grand Slam tennis crown in her playing career?

With the satisfaction of being one of the few to ever beat a number one and number two seed on her way to winning her first Grand Slam tennis title, as well as the multi-million-dollar paycheck that goes with it, Keys has raised her profile to the elite status of women’s
professional tennis. 

American semifinalist Ben Shelton steps into a backhand. PHOTO: PETER STAPLES

A very emotional Keys said, “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.”

The chance for a Black American male champion in this event evaporated when the 21st-seeded Ben Shelton fell to defending champion Jannick Sinner in straight sets, 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinal round of play. The 22-year-old Shelton opined after the loss, “I know I’m close. I know my level’s close.” Sinner beat the second seed, Alexander Sasha Zverev, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, to successfully defend his Australian men’s singles title. It was the 19th career singles championship for Sinner, who became the fifth
man to win three straight hardcourt majors.