In a thriller at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, American Madison Keys defeated women’s No. 1-ranked player Aryna Sabalenka to win the Australian Open on Saturday.
After shaking the winner’s hand, Sabalenka let her emotions out with her racket.
Sabalenka, seeking to become the first player since Martina Hingis to win three consecutive Australian Opens, fell to Keys, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, in the match, which gave her opponent her first Grand Slam . qualification.
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Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after the women’s singles final against Madison Keys of the USA at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Sabalenka shook Keys’ hand at the net, followed by the chair umpire, but was seen slamming her racquet and tossing it to the bench once the niceties were over.
Sabalenka then covered her face with a towel before storming off to the locker room.
The heat of a competition that ultimately does not favor you can be difficult to take at the moment, and Sabalenka said as much during her post-match press conference.
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“There was definitely a little bit of frustration, because I was so close to accomplishing something crazy,” he said, according to The New York Post. “When you’re out there, you’re fighting, but it seems like everything’s not going the way you really want it to go.”
Sabalenka added that she “just needed to get rid of those negative emotions at the end,” and she did it literally with her Wilson racquet. He said he needed to do that “so I can give a speech (and) not stand there being disrespectful.”
“I was just trying to let it go and be a good person,” Sabalenka said.
Bringing out the raw emotion seemed to work, as Sabalenka was seen joking with her team after the loss.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Aryna Sabalenka interviews after her match against Paula Badosa of Spain in the women’s singles semi-finals of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. (Mike Frey-Imagn Images)
“As always, that’s your fault,” he said, laughing. “I don’t want to see you for the next week. I really hate you. No, thank you for everything you’re doing for me and blah, blah, blah.”
However, Sabalenka again took a serious note and addressed Keys.
“I think we did the best we could,” Sabalenka said. “Madison was just playing amazing. I just couldn’t do anything in this match. Next time I play Madison, I’ll bring better tennis.”
As for Keys, she also showed love for Sabalenka and said it was an “amazing performance” on her part. He also noted, at 29 years old, that he never thought he would win a Grand Slam despite having come close to doing so in the past.
“From a very young age, I felt that if I had never won a Grand Slam, then I wouldn’t have lived up to what people thought I should have been. It was a pretty heavy burden to carry,” Keys said. .
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during the women’s singles final against Madison Keys of the USA at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
“So I finally got to the point where I was proud of myself and my career, with or without a Grand Slam. I finally got to the point where I was okay if that didn’t happen. I didn’t need to feel like I had a good career or who deserved to be talked about as a great tennis player.
