Madison Keys made history with her Australian Open title on Saturday.

The American underdog had to hold off defending champion Aryna Sabalenka to win the title in a three-set thriller.

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Madison Keys celebrates with her Australian Open title after defeating Aryna Sabalenka
A 6-3 2-6 7-5 victory over two-time champion Sabalenka etched Keys into tennis history and her championship run saw her break and equal multiple long-standing records.

Many of the milestones the American matched were those belonging to 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and the iconic American has offered her response.

“We just saw Madison Keys, congrats to her, winning the Australian Open today. She is just an amazing player. I got to play her a lot and now she just won the Australian Open,” Williams said in a video posted on X.

Keys has been on WTA tour for 10 years and has suffered multiple Grand Slam heartbreaks en route to the first major of her career.

The world No.7’s only previous major final was a crushing 6-3, 6-0 defeat to Sloane Stephens at the 2017 US Open final, her next best major result was a 2023 semi-final loss in New York to Sabalenka.

By reaching anther Slam final in 2025, the American became the player with the longest gap between their first two Slam finals.

A seven-time winner in Melbourne, Williams was quick to join the former players praising Keys whose journey has inspired many.

With her triumph, 29-year-old became the first woman since Williams in 2005 to beat the world No.1 and world No.2 en route to the Australian Open title.

Keys also became the oldest Australian Open finalist since Serenabeat her older sister Venus in 2017.

“She is so awesome but it also is something I was thinking about, she invested in her career and she invested time into tennis, into just being the best that she could be,” Serena added in her tribute to Keys.

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Serena Williams has won a record seven Australian Open singles titles

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Madison Keys matched multiple Serena Williams records with her victory
“Today she proved she’s one of the best in the world by winning the Australian Open.”

At 29 years and 342 days, Keys also became the fourth oldest woman to win their maiden Grand Slam, behind Flavia Pennetta (33) , Ann Jones (30) and Francesca Shiavone (29 years, 346 days), older than the new champion.

“I made my first grand slam semi-final here in Melbourne and I am so happy to have finally won here. This is where I am going to cry,” Keys said after her win.

“I have wanted this for so long. I never knew if I’d be in this position again.”

Injuries had forced Keys to rip things apart in 2024. The 19th seed had missed last year’s major in Melbourne with a shoulder injury and a hamstring issue ended her Wimbledon in 2024.

It led to some big changes for the new year, Keys – on the advice of her coach and now husband Bjorn Fratangelo – changed racquets.

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Fratangelo convinced her to switch her Wilson racquets for Japanese brand Yonex, a swap he thought would limit her injuries.

“I have no idea why I like this racquet, what it does, like, all the specifics of it. I just knew when I picked it up, it felt really good, and that was the winner,” Keys told Bounces on Tuesday.

It proved to be a championship-winning change as Keys and at 29, proved its never too late to win big.