American Madison Keys defeated Iga Swiatek in the best match of the 2025 Australian Open tournament. It was a three-set dual that appropriately went to a third-set 10-point tiebreak.
Keys was behind the entire tiebreak before pulling ahead in the end to win the match.
The level of play from Keys and Swiatek was off the charts. Rennae Stubbs said during the pivotal third set that both were playing at their absolute best.
Keys has surged in 2025. She won Adelaide International and has now defeated three Top 10 players this year: Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, and now Swiatek. Some credit an equipment change, going from a Wilson to a Yonex racquet and a string change. Her new husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo is also deserving of credit.
Stubbs mentioned that the new seating pods for coaches at the Australian Open, nearly courtside, benefitted Keys. Fratangelo used the times she was on his side of the court to give her advice and keep her calm.
In the post-match interview, Keys seemed stunned about the final minutes of the match. She was broken at 5-5 in the third set. She broke back when Swiatek served for the match. And the tug-of-war tiebreaker was top-notch tennis.
Madison Keys won this match pic.twitter.com/pXt04p8bDr
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 23, 2025
Keys will make her second appearance in a Grand Slam final. She lost the 2017 US Open final to good friend Sloane Stephens.
She will face two-time defending champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Sabalenka has not lost a match in 2025 and has been virtually unbeatable in Australia for the past three years.
Both are hard and powerful hitters so it will be a slugfest. Can Keys, who re-enters the Top 10 rankings next week, dethrone Sabalenka? Fans hope for a high-quality match like they saw today.
