Madison Keys cried tears of joy, while Aryna Sabalenka cried tears of anger and frustration. There was a lot at stake for both players, one seeking her first major trophy and the other seeking to make history. Keys did not go away, even though she stumbled, she kept her focus on the trophy.

Who Would Be The More Nervous, Keys Or Sabalenka?

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It was understandable that they both were struggling with nerves. For Madison Keys they were nerves of wanting to win her first major and remembering all the trials she had gone through over the years in the big moments. Sabalenka on the other hand was aiming for her third consecutive Australian Open trophy. To say Sabalenka was nervous would be an understatement. The Belarusian made three double faults in her first service game to give the early lead right away to Keys. The American was better able to compose herself. Her reward was putting on once again a display of consistently high-quality tennis to claim the first set 6-3. She stumbled, but she did not fall.

Aryna Sabalenka Fought Back In The Second Set

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Was it a case of Sabalenka settling down or Keys feeling an unexpected surge of nerves. There is also the possibility that the American was exhausted. Whatever the cause, Keys lost her way while her opponent found her way. Sabalenka utilized the drop shot effectively to frustrate and wear down her opponent. She won the second set 6-2 to even the match. Keys was stirred but not shaken by the fight back from Sabalenka. It was expected that the champion she is would not go down without a fight. Thus, the match would go the distance. We should not be surprised since the American has battled to three sets in four of her previous matches. It was a highly contested third set with no breaks until 6-5. Sabalenka served to send the match to a ten-point tiebreak; however, she never got there. Keys elevated her game for a final push and at 15-40, the American broke on the second opportunity to win the match 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

The Joy Of Victory Went To Madison Keys

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Congratulations to Madison Keys! About 7.5 years ago she made her first major final at the US Open. Her determination and the support of a great team are the reasons why she not only made it to this final but played her highest level of tennis to claim the title. En route to the title, she defeated several seeded players; however, more impressively, the number one and two ranked WTA players.

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