Madison Keys stunned Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open women’s final to win her long-awaited first grand slam title while denying the World No 1 a historic ‘three-peat’.
Keys halted Sabalenka’s winning run in Melbourne and triumphed in the battle of two big-hitters, winning 6-3 2-6 7-5 in a thrilling deciding set on the Rod Laver Arena. Sabalenka’s frustration spilled over as she smashed her racket after shaking hands at the net.
It capped an unlikely breakthrough triumph for Keys at the age of 29. She had saved match point in her semi-final win over Iga Swiatek, and joins a small group of players to beat the World No 1 and World No 2 on her way to winning a grand slam title.
Keys becomes the fourth-oldest first-time grand slam champion, in what was her 46th grand slam appearance. “I have wanted this for so long,” Keys said. “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.”
Tomorrow, Jannik Sinner will attempt to defend his Australian Open men’s title, with the World No 1 facing Alexander Zverev. The big-serving German is aiming to win his first grand slam after two previous defeats in major finals.
Elsewhere, Alfie Hewett has become an Australian Open wheelchair singles champion for a second time, defeating rival Tokito Oda 6-2 6-4 to win his 10th grand slam singles crown. Hewett also won the wheelchair doubles alongside Gordon Reid yesterday. Britain’s Henry Patten claimed his second grand slam doubles title alongside Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara in a late-night epic
Follow the latest updates from the Australian Open final in our live blog below:
Sinner vs Zverev: Australian Open final updates
When is Jannik Sinner vs Alexander Zverev?
The Australian Open men’s final will begin just after 8:30am GMT (UK time) on Sunday 26 January.
How can I watch the Australian Open?
In the UK, the Australian Open will be broadcast live on Eurosport. Subscribers can also stream the action online on the Eurosport website or with the discovery+ app.
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Jamie Braidwood26 January 2025 01:05
Good morning
Jannik Sinner faces Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final as the World No 1 bids for back-to-back men’s singles titles in Melbourne.
Sinner won his first grand slam at the Australian Open 12 months ago when he came from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev and the Italian has since underlined his status as the best player in the world.
Zverev progressed to a first Australian Open final after an injured Novak Djokovic dramatically retired from their semi-final on Friday, but the German has backed up his position of World No 2 and is a strong contender to win his first grand slam.
The big-serving 27-year-old has the advantage of playing just 82 minutes against Djokovic, while Sinner needed much longer to defeat Ben Shelton and did not finish his semi-final until after midnight local time.
Zverev, though, has his demons in grand slam finals, losing the US Open final from two sets up to Dominic Thiem in 2020 and the French Open final from two sets to one up against Carlos Alcaraz last June.
Sinner, 23, has won 13 matches in a row at Melbourne Park and now has the chance to add his third grand slam title, after also winning the US Open last September
Jamie Braidwood26 January 2025 00:05
Madison Keys: ‘Expectation was a heavy burden to carry around’
Madison Keys on her path to finally winning a grand slam, at the age of 29.
“I think everything kind of happens for a reason. I think for me specifically, I kind of had to go through some tough things. I think it just kind of forced me to look at myself in the mirror a little bit and try to work on, like, kind of just internal pressure that I was putting on myself.
“I felt like from a pretty young age, I felt like if I never won a Grand Slam, then I wouldn’t have lived up to what people thought I should have been. That was a pretty heavy burden to kind of carry around. So I finally got to the point where I was proud of myself and proud of my career, with or without a Grand Slam.”
Jamie Braidwood25 January 2025 23:05
Madison Keys takes the tricky path
Some more stats on the incredible Madison Keys, from Opta Ace:
- Keys is the fourth player to win a women’s singles grand slam by defeating four top-10 seeded opponents, after Evonne Goolagong (Wimbledon 1980), Mary Pierce (AO 1995) and Li Na (RG 2011)
- Keys is the oldest player to defeat the World No. 1 and No. 2 in semi-finals and final at a grand slam event since the start of the WTA rankings, and fifth of all time.
Jamie Braidwood25 January 2025 22:05
Perseverance the key for Madison
At 29, Madison Keys is just the fourth woman to win her first grand slam title at this stage of her career. Only Flavia Pennetta, Ann Jones and Francesca Schiavone had previously won their first grand slam after turning 29.
According to Opta, only Pennetta (49), Goran Ivanisevic (48) and Marion Bartoli (47) have appeared in more main draws to win their first Singles Grand Slam title than Keys (46).
Jamie Braidwood25 January 2025 21:05
Aryna Sabalenka explains angry outburst after handshake
Sabalenka said she had to let the frustration out in order to give a “respectful” runners-up speech, after being so close to winning a third Australian Open title in a row.
“There definitely was a bit of frustration because I was so close to achieving something crazy,” Sabalenka explained.
“I just needed to throw those negative emotions at the end just so I could give a speech, not stand there being disrespectful.
“I was just trying to let it go and be a good person, be respectful,” Sabalenka laughed. “It’s okay. I mean, I’m the one who knows that after tough losses, there is good wins.
“I needed that time for myself to kind of like switch off and forget and leave it in the best and be respectful, not be – I don’t know.
“Just wanted to be respectful. I just needed to throw those stuff out and needed some time with myself.”
Jamie Braidwood25 January 2025 20:05
Aryna Sabalenka smashes racket after Australian Open final defeat to Madison Keys
Aryna Sabalenka was unable to hide her frustration after losing the Australian Open final to Madison Keys as the World No 1 smashed up her racket following the handshake at the net.
Sabalenka, 26, was bidding to win her fourth grand slam title and third Australian Open in a row but was stunned by Keys, who capped a sensational run with her first major title at the age of 29.
With the final heading towards a match tiebreak, Keys managed to break Sabalenka’s serve to win a thrilling final 6-3 2-6 7-5, with the American landing a forehand winner on match point.
After shaking hands at the net, Sabalenka returned to her bench before destroying the racket in her hand, leaving a dent in the fame, as Keys went to her coaching box and shared an emotional embrace with her team.
Jamie Braidwood25 January 2025 19:05
Madison Keys on grand slam title: ‘I have wanted this for so long’
An emotional Madison Keys admits she did not know if she was going to ever win grand slam as the American fights back the tears during her speech.
“This is where I’m going to cry – I have wanted this for so long,” Keys says.
“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.
“I love you all so much and I cannot wait for more. I just want to say thank you so much. I’m so appreciative towards every single person who helped me continue to believe in myself and push on to achieve this dream.”
Jamie Braidwood25 January 2025 18:05
Jannik Sinner faces Alexander Zverev in men’s singles final tomorrow
The big-serving Alexander Zverev has the advantage of playing just 82 minutes against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, while Jannik Sinner needed much longer to defeat Ben Shelton and did not finish his semi-final until after midnight local time on Friday night.
Zverev, though, has his demons in grand slam finals, losing the US Open final from two sets up to Dominic Thiem in 2020 and the French Open final from two sets to one up against Carlos Alcaraz last June. Could he take inspriration from Madison Keys today?
Sinner, 23, has won 13 matches in a row at Melbourne Park and now has the chance to add his third grand slam title, after also winning the US Open last September. He looked dominant, but so did Aryna Sabalenka…
Jamie Braidwood25 January 2025 17:05
Jannik Sinner v Alexander Zverev start time and how to watch Australian Open final
Jannik Sinner faces Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final as the World No 1 bids for back-to-back men’s singles titles in Melbourne.
Sinner won his first grand slam at the Australian Open 12 months ago when he came from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev and the Italian has since underlined his status as the best player in the world.
Zverev progressed to a first Australian Open final after an injured Novak Djokovic dramatically retired from their semi-final on Friday, but the German has backed up his position of World No 2 and is a strong contender to win his first grand slam.
Jamie Braidwood25 January 2025 16:35