The Happy Slam is reaching its thrilling conclusion as Madison Keys faces World No. 1 and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The stakes are sky-high! Keys is aiming for her first Grand Slam title, while Sabalenka seeks a hat trick at the Australian Open. This will be their first meeting since the 2023 US Open semifinals, where Keys lost a tough match after winning the first set. With Keys being hopeful for redemption and with Sabalenka eyeing a hat-trick win at the AO – Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson chalk this up to be an exciting battle.

Keys pulled off an incredible upset against Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, winning 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 after a nail-biting tiebreak that lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes. After dropping the first set, she found her rhythm and dominated the second. Every time Swiatek tried to gain momentum, Keys countered brilliantly, saving a match point and sealing her victory in a tense tiebreak. This win marks her first Grand Slam final in nearly eight years and extends her winning streak to 11 matches!

However, taking down Sabalenka won’t be easy. Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson discussed this in their latest episode of the ‘Nothing Majors’ podcast. Sam boldly predicted, “Keys vs Sabalenka, I’m– I mean I hate to jump forward to the preview– but I’m calling Keys to win it. I think she’s going to keep the momentum going.” He believes Keys can go toe-to-toe with Sabalenka’s power without being intimidated by her shots.

While Sabalenka thrives on instinct and powerful forehands, Keys has her strengths too. Her forehand can be vulnerable under pressure due to her lengthy swing, but when she’s on, she can hit hard and score winners, as seen against Swiatek. Both Sam and Steve noted that Keys’ average serve speed is 170 km/h, higher than Sabalenka’s 161 km/h. Steve remarked that their aggression could “break like ten balls in this match.” He added, “Hitting the ball so hard. I think it is going to be a fun match. Two players who do play relatively the same way, they both want to stand in the middle and they both want to control the court on their own terms.”

As the players prepare to take the court, it’s worth noting that Sabalenka leads their head-to-head record 4-1. However, given Keys’ improvement since their last encounter and her current form, she looks ready for this challenge.

Previous loss to Sabalenka pushed Madison Keys to do better

At the 2023 US Open, Madison Keys fought hard against Sabalenka but ultimately fell short, losing 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(5). Now, she’s ready to meet the Belarusian once again on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, this time vying for the coveted Australian Open trophy. Keys’ recent performance against Iga showcased her revamped mindset and intensity. During a press conference before facing Sabalenka, she revealed how that US Open defeat transformed her game. “After I lost to Aryna at the US Open, I felt like I tried to play safe and I wasn’t playing how I wanted to in the big moments. That felt so bad,” she admitted.

Keys realized she needed to embrace discomfort and play her best tennis. “If I can go out and do what I want to do and really just be uncomfortable at times and go for it… then I can walk away and say, ‘Okay, I did my best, she beat me, that’s fine.’” She added, “I didn’t want to be in the same situation where I looked back and thought, ‘Man, I should have gone for it.’”

Ahead of their highly anticipated title clash, Keys praised Sabalenka’s relentless approach. “Her ability to always go for it, no matter what the score is, is impressive,” she said. With both players having faced off five times before, will this sixth encounter be Madison’s moment to shine and finally lift that trophy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.