Nerves of steel play a crucial role during tough moments, especially during the latter stages of Grand Slam events. Ask Aryna Sabalenka, who would be familiar with such situations, having come out on the top on most occasions. One such moment was during Sabalenka’s last Grand Slam match against Madison Keys. The two are set to face in yet another blockbuster clash tomorrow in the Australian Open final. Ahead of the big match, the memories of their previous clash a year and a half ago are still afresh.

Sabalenka and Keys’ last Grand Slam match against each other was at the 2023 US Open. The two contested in the semifinal stage, with the Belarusian star holding her nerves to secure a crucial victory in the dying stages of the match. Keys had a blistering start to the contest and dominated Sabalenka right from the word go. Subsequently, she won the first set in no time, inflicting a bagel on Sabalenka.

Despite the early and humiliating setback, Sabalenka wasn’t going to quit. She kept on fighting and took the second set into the tiebreaker. After much struggle, Sabalenka kept the match alive and won the tiebreaker comfortably 7-1. Further, the deciding set was a mirror image of the second set, with both players going neck to neck against each other. However, Keys gained the advantage at 4-2 but couldn’t hold onto her lead as Sabalenka forced the match into the tiebreaker. The Belarusian star showed that she was made for big moments by capturing the match tiebreaker 10-5 and entering the final. Subsequently, Sabalenka went on to lose the final against the home favorite, Coco Gauff.

Revealing her emotions after the match, Sabalenka said, “I was just like, ‘What can I do? She’s playing unbelievable, just crushing everything. Lucky me, somehow magically, I was able to turn around this [match].”

Nonetheless, Keys will be hoping for revenge when she faces Sabalenka in the Australian Open final. Ahead of their match, the American star had an honest take on her opponent.

Madison Keys all praise of Aryna Sabalenka

The American star would be a dark horse against a rampant Aryna Sabalenka, who is in the form of her life. Throughout the course of the tournament, she dominated her opponents and gave hardly anything away. During an interview, Keys opened up about Sabalenka’s unique ability.

She revealed, “What’s really impressive is her mentality. I think her ability to kind of always go for it, no matter what the score is, is really impressive. She plays such fearless tennis. She has the ability to play so well that way. I think it’s very unique. I think a lot of people, no matter what, even if it was a tight point, you kind of expect them to play a little bit more conservative or back down a little bit, and you know she’s not going to do that.”

Meanwhile, Keys would hope to continue her giant-killing run in the tournament, having already defeated Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina en route to the final. Can Keys upset Sabalenka and win her maiden Grand Slam title? Let us know your views in the comments below.