Former tennis prodigy Madison Keys beat Aryna Sabalenka to finally to land her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Saturday.
Sabalenka, the world No 1, was aiming to become the first woman since Martina Hingis in the late 1990s to pull off the "three-peat" of three consecutive titles at Melbourne Park.
But American Keys, who turned professional aged only 14, held her nerve to claim a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 victory at Rod Laver Arena at the age of 29. It followed her win against second seed Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals.
Afterwards, Keys, who lost her only other Grand Slam final to Sloane Stephens at the US Open in 2017, said: “I have wanted this for so long, I never knew if I'd be in this position again.
“I've been in one other Grand Slam final and it didn't go my way, and I didn't know if I was going to be able to get back into this position to win a trophy again.
"My team believed in me every step of the way. They believed in me when I didn't believe in myself and helped me every step of the way."
Addressing her opponent Sabalenka, she said: “Firstly, Aryna you are an unbelievable player and I'm glad I got you back.
“You are always so tough to play against and we always have the craziest matches.
“I made my very first Grand Slam semi-final here in Melbourne, so to have won my first Grand Slam in the same place means the absolute world to me.”
In the Open era, only Flavia Pennetta, Ann Jones and Francesca Schiavone have won maiden Grand Slam titles later into their career than Keys, who covered her face with her hands in delight and disbelief after sending a final forehand win fizzing past Sabalenka.
Keys, who is the oldest woman to make her major breakthrough at Melbourne Park, rushed over to her courtside coaching pod, where she sobbed in the arms of husband Bjorn Fratangelo, who has played a crucial role in her achievement, having agreed to become her coach last year.
In the US Open final eight years ago, Keys had been paralysed by nerves and won only three games against good friend Stephens.
She revealed ahead of this match that she had been trying to learn from Sabalenka not to hold back in the big moments, and she was true to her word.
Sabalenka is not used to facing players with a similar arsenal of power shots and Keys was dealing out blows that the watching Jackie Chan would have been proud of, particularly off her serve and backhand.
By contrast, the top seed was struggling to find her range and relax into the occasion, casting frequent glances towards her box and dropping her racket to the court in frustration.
Two double faults in the opening game set the tone, and another break of serve in the fifth helped Keys into a 5-1 lead.
The American had a set point in a long seventh game but Sabalenka was dug out of trouble by her serve and, although Keys went on to take the set, it was a turning point of sorts.
Keys tightened up on serve in the game that followed, handing Sabalenka a break back, but a huge double fault from the Belarusian in the next game gave her a second set point, and this time the 19th seed made no mistake, sending a backhand winner fizzing down the line.
Sabalenka has handled everything thrown at her in Melbourne over the last three years, though, and – after heading off court for a bathroom break – she set about levelling the contest.
Keys’ first-serve percentage dropped and her belief seemed to waver, while the key shot for Sabalenka was not her thumping ground strokes or serve but the short angled forehand slice, which repeatedly left her opponent stranded.
Keys had brilliantly stood firm against Swiatek in the deciding set of their semi-final before clinching a stunning win, and she refused to buckle to Sabalenka’s pressure here.
The statistics were barely able to separate the two women and, as the tension ratcheted up, so did the quality and pace.
With Sabalenka serving at 5-6 to force a deciding tie-break, Keys sensed her time was now. Seizing the moment as she had planned, she fizzed returns back at her opponent to bring up two match points, taking the first in brilliant fashion.
Afterwards, Sabalenka said to Keys: “It's OK, I hope I see you next year! First of all, Madison, wow. What a tournament.
“You have been fighting really hard to get this trophy, you have been playing unbelievable tennis, you crashed it tonight. Congrats to you and your team, really well deserved. Enjoy the celebration, enjoy the fun part.”
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