Madison Finds The Key To Bliss

At 29, the American caps a great run to win her first Major beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Oz Open final

- Rutvick Mehta

MUMBAI: Not too long ago, Madison Keys had made peace with the possibility of looking back at her tennis career fondly even if it didn't feature a Grand Slam title. That would still be her goal, of course. But having given it her deepest shot through her teens and early, mid and late 20s without hitting the sweet spot, she wouldn't be sour about that gaping hole in an otherwise rich CV.

At this Australian Open, in the same Slam she first made the semis a decade ago as a teen prodigy, the American went about filling it with champion-like mindset, game and poise. And came out a Grand Slam winner. At 29. Never too late for an upgrade.

Once she did complete it, beating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in a cracking big-hitting finale, Keys wore a look of disbelief. In tears, she walked across to the courtside coaching pod and embraced her team. In tears, a racquet-smashing Sabalenka tucked her head under the towel. Pictures of contrast that only sport can play out.

Storylines of contrast have played out in women's tennis in the past decade - of qualifiers and teen sensations turning champions, of one-Slam wonders, of multiple-time winners chasing further glory. In her 46th main draw appearance (third most for a first-time winner), after falling short in one final and five semi-finals across the decade, Keys can finally call herself a Grand Slam champion. How's that for a story?

"I have wanted this for so long," Keys said in her on-court speech, new to this stage as the fourth-oldest first-time Major winner. "I didn't know if I was ever going to get back to this position to try to win a trophy again."