It was all written in the stars for Madison Keys. On Saturday, the American, ranked 14th in the WTA, claimed the 2025 Australian Open title by defeating two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling match that ended 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. This victory highlighted her incredible journey through the tournament, where she took down four top 10 players, including second seed Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. After coming close to winning a Grand Slam at the 2017 US Open but losing to Sloane Stephens in the finals, this win now places her at seventh in the WTA rankings—a moment that was meant to happen, according to the former pro-Joanna Sakowicz-Kostecka.

While speaking to the Polish publication Przegląd Sportowy, Sakowicz-Kostecka was asked if her winning the Australian Open was significant for the scope of women’s tennis. She replied, “Absolutely! And we didn’t even realize how much. It wasn’t until her triumph that we realized how important she was to the puzzle. We kept focusing on four names: Świątek, Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff. We considered which of them had the better chances, and then Madison appeared, who started the season with twelve wins in a row, winning a Grand Slam tournament.”

The 2024 season was a rollercoaster for Keys. A shoulder injury forced her to withdraw from the Australian Open, and a hamstring injury at Wimbledon cut her fourth-round match short against Jasmine Paolini. Just when it seemed like her luck had run out, everything transformed in 2025 thanks to a game-changing suggestion from her husband and coach, Bjorn Fratangelo. She kicked off the new year by clinching the Adelaide International title, reigniting her passion and confidence on the court.

As Sakowicz-Kostecka noted, “Her triumph is indisputable. In the semifinals and final, she defeated top players—number two and number one. Along the way, she also won against Elena Rybakina and Danielle Collins. This is not a random success.” Elena Rybakina and Danielle Collins are both formidable players; the Kazakh is the 2022 Wimbledon champion, while Collins brings decades of experience. But Madison defeated both of them in the third and the fourth round of the tournament.

With Madison’s current momentum, the future looks bright. As Sakowicz-Kostecka put it, “Keys brings something fresh. She has become a player to be reckoned with, even on clay courts.” But is that so really? The clay courts are currently dominated by Iga Swiatek, who, Keys acknowledged, gave her the push she needed to win at the AO.

Madison Keys revealed how taking down Swiatek motivated her

Madison Keys’ journey to her first Grand Slam title was nothing short of thrilling. In a nail-biting match that lasted two hours and 35 minutes, the 19th seed saved a match point against Poland’s Iga Swiatek, who was serving for the match at 6-5 in the third set. Keys not only broke back but also rallied from 7-5 down in a tense tiebreaker to secure her spot in the final. She then faced the formidable Aryna Sabalenka, and it was her newfound confidence that propelled her past Swiatek and into the spotlight.

Reflecting on her remarkable run, Keys shared in her post-match press conference on January 25, “I started figuring things out when I wasn’t playing great, and then through the off-season, I just put in a lot of hard work and I started to see that things were kind of going more the way that I wanted. I just feel like it’s one of those things that just slowly keeps building and all of a sudden you’re winning a bunch of matches in Adelaide and then you’re coming in here.”

With the Australian Open title, Madison Keys became the first woman in 20 years since Serena Williams to beat both the No.1 and No.2 players to win the Grand Slam title.

The win must have felt sweet as she ended Sabalenka’s impressive 20-match winning streak at Melbourne Park. Keys wrapped up the tournament with no regrets and a well-deserved title, just as she had hoped! Now that she’s established herself among the top 10, can she maintain this winning streak? Only time will tell!