Saturday, January 25, 2025

AO25 - A Sweet Song in the Key of Madison

Time can be a wicked fiend, albeit a natural -- and necessary -- evil. In the end, it always wins. But once in a while, on what immediately becomes a special occasion, one of us mortals gets the better of it in a staredown. That's what Madison Keys has done in Melbourne.



With a long career littered with ill-timed injuries and squandered opportunities on the big stage, and with her tennis biological clock ticking down just weeks before her 30th birthday (and all that that often means for an athlete in her chosen sport), as long as *two* seasons ago Keys was wondering if her last best shot at the ultimate success in a major had slipped through her fingers for the last time. Then, she'd just lost a U.S. Open semifinal (at that point, her fifth defeat in six final four appearances at slam level) to Aryna Sabalenka in which she'd led 6-0/5-3, and 4-2 in the 3rd.

At some point during a frustrating '24 season, Keys and coach/then-fiancé-and-now-husband Bjorn Fratangelo looked at the numbers and realized that they needed to do something to have a chance in that ongoing battle with the aforementioned time. While players' careers last longer on average now than in years past (Angie Kerber's three-major title career saw her win her first at age 28), it remained clear that Keys had far more opportunities for big wins behind her than she had ahead. Her power would seem to serve her well when it comes to being able to carry her contention into her thirties, but the service motion and equipment changes the pair enacted late last year (and stuck with into '25) were made, in part, to help her work smarter, not harder.

After a Week 2 title run in Adelaide, Keys picked up still more steam in Melbourne. After escaping a 7-5 3rd set early on vs. qualifier Gabriela Ruse, she went on to extend her winning streak to 11 matches as she took down the likes of Danielle Collins, Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina. Against #2 Iga Swiatek in the semis, Keys produced likely her biggest win to date, saving a MP and winning a MTB in which she'd trailed throughout (and as late as 8-7) before a final spurt finally shot her into her first major final since the 2017 U.S. Open, where she had a disappointing showing vs. her good friend Sloane Stephens.

Of course, there was still *much* work to do.

#1 seeded, two-time defending champ Sabalenka was 11-0 on the season, had won 20 straight AO matches (28-1 in sets), was 33-1 in hard court majors since AO23 (and 38-2 since US22) and was appearing in her fifth consecutive slam final on the surface, looking for a third straight major hard court crown and to complete the first three-peat in Melbourne since Martina Hingis won her third straight AO in 1999. Sabalenka had lost just one set (to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the QF) through six rounds en route, and had proved steely when challenged by young players (Jessica Bouzas Maneiro led 5-2 in a set in the 2nd Rd., while Clara Tauson had chances to put away *both* sets she played against her in the 3rd Rd.) looking to knock her off her throne (secured for now due to Swiatek's loss to Keys, which had prevented a battle-for-#1 square-off in this final).

Over the past two-plus seasons, Sabalenka has proven to be in her element under such circumstances. But on this night she was facing a different sort of Madison than the one she came back to defeat two years ago in New York, as this one has started, maybe for the first time ever, to Believe, with a capital "B."



Keys burst out of gate, as she had in her 2nd set domination over Swiatek. Of course, Sabalenka contributed to Keys' run with her serve getting away from her. She DF'd on her first serve of the match, then again moments later to give Keys an early BP chance. Keys' big forehand got the break and a 1-0 lead, which she consolidated with a quick hold. Sabalenka had trailed Paula Badosa 0-2 in the 1st in the SF, and was a point from 0-3, before assuming control when Badosa couldn't put away the biggest points. Here Sabalenka held from 30/30, but Keys didn't waver or even slow down.

Up 3-1, Keys' forehand crosscourt pass made it 30-all, and another Sabalenka DF gave her still another BP. Sabalenka couldn't get to a short ball and Keys led 4-1. Chasing down shots around the court, Keys fired a backhand off the net cord that jumped over onto Sabalenka's side and gave her a 30/love lead on serve. An ace secured a love hold and a 5-1 bulge on the scoreboard.

Keys continued to charge. A backhand pass gave her double SP at 15/40. Sabalenka battled back to stay alive in the set with a hold, then took advantage of Keys' lone wobble as she served for the 1st. A break made it 5-3, but Sabalenka couldn't carry it over into the next game, falling behind love/30. She badly missed on a wide serve to give Keys another BP/SP opportunity. This time Keys closed things out with a backhand down the line, breaking the defending champ for a third time in the set to win 6-3.



With her first serve not firing in the opening game of the 2nd, Keys opened a door for Sabalenka, as she reached BP at 30/40 but netted a passing shot as Keys approached down the center of the court. Keys failed to put away a GP, and Sabalenka got another BP chance. Keys hit an ace. A backhand down the line gave Keys a second GP, secured when Sabalenka failed to get back a backhand return as Keys wiggled off the hook and escaped to take a 1-0 lead.

Two games later, though, Keys couldn't do it again. With Sabalenka changing up her game (a drop shot off a return?) and starting to fire herself up ("Come on!"), the Belarusian took a love/30 lead. Keys pulled out big serves to avoid a deeper hole (an ace got it to 30/30) and saved a pair of BP (one w/ another ace, then a deep serve). But on her third BP chance, Sabalenka blasted a backhand return down the line into the corner for a break to take her first lead at 2-1.

With an opening at 30/30 a game later, Keys missed long on a return shot, and Sabalenka got her hold to lead 3-1. The #1 seed's deep return and drop shot combo gave her a 15/30 edge in game 5, and on her first BP opportunity she smacked a forehand passing shot by Keys to take a double-break lead at 4-1. Sabalenka extended her lead to 5-1, but only after falling behind love/30, 15/40, wiping away three BP and twice using drop shots to take advantage of groundstrokes that had pushed Keys behind the baseline. Keys ended Sabalenka's five-game run with a hold, but Sabalenka served out the set a game later, using two more drop shots on her way to a 40/love lead before winning the 2nd at 6-2 on her third GP, moving to within just one set of the first AO three-peat in a quarter century of play in Melbourne.



(NOTE: unlike what would have happend had a certain Pole been on the other side of the net in this final under similar circumstances, Keys did *not* race off court to delay the start of the 3rd as long as possible. Do unto others as you *hope* they would do unto you, I suppose.)

Both women opened the decider with quick holds of serve, then in game 3 of the 3rd set Sabalenka took a love/30 lead with another drop shot winner. But she netted a forehand passing shot down the line that would have given her double break point. With Keys back to hitting effective first serves, she pulled the game back and held to lead 2-1. Two more back-to-back easy holds were followed by another (at love) by Sabalenka, as any potential match-turning moment was delayed, then delayed again.

At 30/30 in game 7, Keys fired consecutive winners to take a 4-3 lead. It was a good sign for Keys, akin to her winning finish vs. Swiatek in the semis; but then Sabalenka did her one better with a love hold to knot the score again. With both players firing from both sides of the court, another solid Keys hold put the pressure on Sabalenka's shoulders to hold to stay in the match at 5-4. Up love/15 on Sabalenka's serve, Keys went for a big forehand that just missed wide of the far line. A tricky deficit avoided, Sabalenka knotted the score at 5-5 with a service winner on her second GP.

A Sabalenka second serve return winner gave her a 15/30 lead in game 11, and it was then up to Keys to swat back the challenge. A big serve up the T made it 30-all, then Keys redirected a huge Sabalenka return into the corner to reach GP, which she put away with a forehand sent behind Sabalenka to lead 6-5.



What came next was what makes this sport capable of IYKYK gems, as Sabalenka tried to send the match to a deciding MTB in her attempt to win her third straight title, while Keys tried to put away for good nearly two decades worth of frustrations between the lines.

Keys jumped to a love/30 lead with a backhand return winner. With both woman blasting shots in an extended rally, Sabalenka finally netted a forehand that gave Keys double MP at 15/40. A wide Keys return extended the dramatic tension before Keys claimed what was finally hers. She *took* it, really, as she *had* to -- to both put away Sabalenka, but to also carry out her own newly-constructed hit-to-win philosophy to its rightful conclusion -- with a forehand winner that made her (three weeks from turning 30) the third-oldest first-time slam winner ever, in her 46th career major MD (the third-longest wait).



Keys is the 16th woman in the Open era to win a major title after having saved a MP (nine of which won the AO), and the first woman in fifteen years to claim a slam while knocking off both the world #1 and #2 (w/ Rybakina, as well, that's quite the trifecta).

As Sabalenka's tears flowed beneath a towel from her seat (after she'd angrily smashed her racket and flung it across the changeover area bench), her three-peat dreams crashed on the shores by her opponent's oncoming tide of confidence, Keys celebrated her 6-3/2-6/7-5 victory with her team and husband/coach in the players box positioned in the corner of the court (closer than at any other major).

Keys will become the fourth U.S. woman in the Top 10 on Monday, but the only one of the group to be a reigning slam champion.



Later, Keys admitted that her belated slam success has some after she'd finally come to terms with the notion that even if she *didn't* win a major title she'd still be proud of herself, the effort she'd given and what she *had* accomplished. She'd be fine. And, just like that -- poof -- away went much of the potentially debilitating internalized pressure that so often dragged her down in the past.

Of course, she still *wanted* that big title. And now she has it.

A phenom with great promise as a teenager, then an achieving-but-still-oddly-underachieving twentysomething after that, Keys will now get the chance to experience what it's like to be 30 with a new outlook on life, both on and off court, as well as the belief that, yes, anything is possible after having headed the nemesis of time off at the pass by changing the conversation so that it'd be more on *her* terms.

It's an instructional moment, for any and everyone.

Having finally mustered the ability to convince herself that what was possible *was* within her grasp -- something that is often the *hardest* part of the equation to finalize... due to the nagging ability of individuals to pysch *themselves* out and all -- Keys' discovered belief and hard-won resilience has now pulled her through the doorway to the other side of tennis success. Funny how that worked out, huh?.

The lessons? Maybe that sometimes one just has to *take* it rather than *hope* for it, as well as possibly that the best way to trick time is convincing everyone -- maybe even oneself -- that it doesn't really matter. They're surely universal maxims that carry beyond the boundaries of a mere tennis court.

So, one might say that Keys' triumph isn't just a win for Madi but, in a way, it's really one for the rest of us, too. Congrats, and a thank-you from us all.







=AO NOTES=
...while Diede is away, as expected, it was Yui Kamiji who played.

With de Groot's 15-major title, 52-match slam winning streak on the shelf for a few months due to hip surgery, the door was open for someone else to roll into the winner's circle in the AO wheelchair competition. As it turned out, the woman who has pretty reliably been the #2 player ever since de Groot first rose to #1 in early 2018 ended up being the one lifting the singles trophy.



Top-seeded Kamiji defeated #2 Aniek Van Koot 6-2/6-2 in the final to claim her ninth career slam singles crown, her first since the 2020 RG and the third of her career in Melbourne. Kamiji should reclaim the #1 ranking from de Groot on Monday (she came into this AO just 175 points behind the Dutch star in the rankings).



Though Japan didn't sweep the wheelchair singles titles, as #2 Alfie Hewett defeated #1 Tokito Oda to win the men's honors, the girls' junior singles competition had a more favorable conclusion.



#4 seed Wakana Sonobe, who came up short in last year's U.S. Open junior final, this time around dominated #6 Kristina Penickova (who was going for a s/d sweep) in the AO girls' final, winning 6-0/6-1. She's the first Japanese girl to claim a slam singles title since Kazuko Sawamatsu won her second of back-to-back junior majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 1969.



...this year the Australian Open became the third of the four majors to hold a junior wheelchair competition (I'm not sure if Wimbledon will make it 4-for-4 this summer or not), and for the second time since the U.S. Open christened this this new era with its inaugural event in 2022, the girls' singles title was claimed by a Brazilian.

Two seasons ago, it was Jade Moreira Lanai who triumphed in New York, and on Saturday in Melbourne it was another Brazilian in top-seeded Vitoria Miranda, who defeated the U.S.'s Sabina Czauz in a deciding MTB, winning 0-6/6-3 [10-4] to sweep the AO singles and doubles crowns.



...the last remaining women's champions to be crowned at this slam will come on Sunday in the women's doubles, as well as the Legends' doubles and mixed competitions.





...A CHANGE IN FORTUNE, and what comes next:



I admit, Madison Keys has been a tough nut for me to crack over the years. Throughout the run of this space, I've had a hard time working up a positive narrative for her tennis career that extended beyond a single result that popped up after quiet intervals. She's long been one of the most admirable personalities in the sport off the court, but when it's come to discussing her tennis accomplishments I'd always felt like she should be winning more, and probably bigger, than she had. She'd had many wonderful moments, but always spaced out her best results, causing her current standing to somewhat drift from memory from time to time. So when I'd look up and see her in the Top 20 -- or even Top 10! -- I'd gasp and wonder, "How?" Then I'd have to go about reminding myself all over again.

It was true success in a major that was (seemingly eternally) elusive. So many opportunities were missed or squandered by Keys, often just when it'd seemed as if the fates had turned in her favor in a women's slam draw or during a particular match.

But that's changed this January. Now -- and it'd been the case even if she hadn't won the AO final -- after years of wondering just how I'd develop a "take" on any Keys slam success -- which I didn't think would likely ever matter, anyway, since I figured *that* wouldn't become a reality -- suddenly everything "old" is "new" again. It's a remarkable change.

Clearly with an eye on the drumbeat of time and what it meant for her chances going forward unless something changed, *and fast*, Keys and Fratangelo decided to take a stab at controlling the story by altering the landscape. An offseason which included Fratangelo finally morphing into Keys' new *spouse* ran concurrently with their late '24 moves to develop a new service motion (w/ a different toss that moves Keys forward *and* maybe protects her body from wear and tear), andswitch her to a new racket (lighter, allowing her to generate power behind her shots with less stress) and strings (giving her better control), which led to her also forging a new gameday mindset (to trust enough to hit to *win*, and *take* the point, rather than only hope for either), as well. Rather than question it all, Keys decided to put faith in the changes and, in turn, in herself.

How's it working out for her so far?



Even if she'd lost to Sabalenka, all of Keys' work was going to put her in a great position as she headed toward the body of the '25 season. The rest of the year -- if the "new" Madison had really taken root -- appeared to place her in the top tier of contenders at two of the three remaining majors, with her experiences in the opening month of this season providing a great foundation of confidence on which to build.

But now she's *won* the big one. Is it *enough* for her, or will it make her hungry for more? If the latter proves true, this could be a very special season (or two, or maybe a few more) for a player who has had the talent for a such a thing for a long time, but only now seems to have created an atmosphere in which she could (finally) reach the sort of heights in her career in her thirties that were expected of her (at least) a decade ago but failed to come to fruition.

Would it be wrong to think about the arc of the career of a player like Jennifer Capriati? For very obviously different reasons, she failed to live up to her teenage phenom credientials, but once she found the right conditions to thrive in her mid-and-late twenties she won three majors in the span of a year, reached #1 and had ten SF+ runs (including in her final major apperance) over a span that lasted just longer than five seasons.

Keys is capable of that, and maybe more.

For the first time, after associating a feeling of dread with the discussion of her tennis career for so long, I'm excited to see what Madison does next. Funny how that happens.


...NOW THEY CAN COMPARE NOTES (but Sloane's old check is still bigger, I'd guess):




...NOT REALLY WHAT "THREE-PEAT" MEANS (are we going to need to have a discussion like the old "Grand Slam" vs. "Calendar Slam" thing now?:




...DAPHNE'S GOTTEN OFF PRETTY EASY SO FAR...it's hard to screw up "easy" surnames like "Keys" or "Williams" or "Osaka" (one of these days, though...):




...HARD-EARNED WISDOM:












=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#19 Madison Keys/USA def. #1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR 6-3/2-6/7-5

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Siniakova/Townsend (CZE/USA) vs. #3 Hsieh/Ostapenko (TPE/LAT)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
(WC) Gadecki/Peers (AUS/AUS) def. Birrell/J-P.Smith (AUS/AUS) 3-6/6-4 [10-6]

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Aniek Van Koot/NED 6-2/6-2

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL=
Li/Wang (CHN/CHN) def. Tanaka/Zhu (JPN/CHN) 6-2/6-3

=GIRLS' SINGLES FINAL=
#4 Wakana Sonobe/JPN def. #6 Kristina Penickova/USA 6-0/6-1

=GIRLS' DOUBLES FINAL=
#6 A.Pennickova/K.Penickova (USA/USA) def. #2 E.Jones/Klugman (AUS/GBR) 6-4/6-2

=GIRLS' WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Vitoria Miranda/BRA def. Sabina Czauz/USA 0-6/6-3 (10-4)

=GIRLS' WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL=
Gryp/Miranda (BEL/BRA) def. Czauz/Mosko (USA/LAT) 6-1/6-1

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES LEGENDS FINAL=
x/x vs. x/x

=MIXED DOUBLES LEGENDS FINAL=
x/x vs. x/x





















kosova-font











kosova-font

*RECENT AUSTRALIAN OPEN SINGLES CHAMPIONS*
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2013 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2014 Li Na, CHN
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Serena Williams, USA
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
2021 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2022 Ash Barty, AUS
2023 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2025 Madison Keys, USA

*FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN - OPEN ERA*
1977 Kerry Melville-Reid, AUS
1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS
1979 Barbara Jordan, USA
1980 Hana Mandlikova, CZE
1995 Mary Pierce, FRA
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
2023 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2025 Madison Keys, USA

*OLDEST FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS*
33y,199d - Flavia Pennetta, 2015 U.S. Open
29y,346d - Francesca Schiavone, 2010 Roland Garros
29y,342d - MADISON KEYS, 2025 Australian Open
29y,275d - Jana Novotna, 1998 Wimbledon
29y,154d - Kerry Melville-Reid, 1977 Australian Open
29y,98d - Li Na, 2011 Roland Garros
28y,277d - Marion Bartoli, 2013 Wimbledon
28y,12d - Angelique Kerber, 2016 Australian Open

*MOST SLAM MD BEFORE FIRST TITLE*
49 - Flavia Pennetta (2015 U.S. Open)
47 - Marion Bartoli (2013 Wimbledon)
46 - MADISON KEYS (2025 Australian Open)
45 - Jana Novotna (1998 Wimbledon)
43 - Caroline Wozniacki (2018 Australian Open)
39 - Francesca Schiavone (2010 Roland Garros)
34 - Samantha Stosur (2011 U.S. Open)
33 - Angelique Kerber (2016 Australian Open)
32 - Simona Halep (2018 Roland Garros)
32 - Amelie Mauresmo (2006 Australian Open)

*SLAM WINNERS WHO FACED MATCH POINTS - Open era*
1986 US - Martina Navratilova [Graf SF, 3 MP]
1991 AO - Monica Seles [MJ.Fernandez SF]
2002 AO - Jennifer Capriati [Hingis F, 4 MP]
2003 AO - Serena Williams [Clijsters SF, 2 MP]
2004 RG - Anastasia Myskina [Kuznetsova 4r]
2005 AO - Serena Williams [Sharapova SF, 3 MP]
2005 RG - Justine Henin-H. [Kuznetsova 4r, 2 MP]
2005 WI - Venus Williams [Davenport F]
2009 WI - Serena Williams [Dementieva SF]
2014 AO - Li Na [Safarova 3r]
2016 AO - Angelique Kerber [Doi 1r]
2018 AO - Caroline Wozniacki [Fett 2r, 2 MP]
2021 AO - Naomi Osaka [Muguruza 4r, 2 MP]
2021 RG - Barbora Krejcikova [Sakkari SF]
2024 RG - Iga Swiatek [Osaka 2r]
2025 AO - Madison Keys [Swiatek SF]

*DEFEATED #1 & #2 RANKED PLAYERS IN A MAJOR*
1979 US: #3 Tracy Austin (#2 Navratilova/#1 Evert)
1985 US: #4 Hana Mandlikova (#1 Evert/#2 Navratilova)
1999 RG: #6 Steffi Graf (#2 Davenport/#1 Hingis)
1999 US: #6 Serena Williams (#2 Davenport/#1 Hingis)
2000 US: #3 Venus Williams (#1 Hingis/#2 Davenport)
2000 WI: #5 Venus Williams (#1 Hingis/#2 Davenport)
2001 AO: #14 Jennifer Capriati (#2 Davenport/#1 Hingis)
2002 RG: #3 Serena Williams (#2 Capriati/#1 V.Williams)
2003 RG: #4 Justine Henin-H. (#1 S.Williams/#2 Clijsters)
2005 AO: #7 Serena Williams (#2 Mauresmo/#1 Davenport)
2005 WI: #14 Venus Williams (#2 Sharapova/#1 Davenport)
2006 US: #4 Maria Sharapova (#1 Mauresmo/#2 Henin-H.)
2009 RG: #7 Svetlana Kuznetsova (#2 S.Williams/#1 Safina)
2025 AO: #14 Madison Keys (#2 Swiatek/#1 Sabalenka)

*LOW-SEEDED AO CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA*
Unseeded - 1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS
Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA
#19 - 2025 MADISON KEYS, USA
#14 - 2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
#12 - 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
#7 - 2005 Serena Williams, USA
#7 - 2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
#5 - 1979 Barbara Jordan, USA
#5 - 2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS
#5 - 2023 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR

*HARD COURT MAJOR WINNERS IN 2020s*
2020 AO: Sofia Kenin, USA*
2020 US: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2021 AO: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2021 US: Emma Raducanu, GBR*
2022 AO: Ash Barty, AUS
2022 US: Iga Swiatek, POL
2023 AO: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR*
2023 US: Coco Gauff, USA*
2024 AO: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2024 US: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2025 AO: Madison Keys, USA*
--
* - first-time slam champ

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
16...Venus Williams (7-9)
5...Iga Swiatek (5-0)
5...ARYNA SABALENKA (3-2)
5...Simona Halep (2-3)
5...Victoria Azarenka (2-3)
4...Naomi Osaka (4-0)
3...Petra Kvitova (2-1)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (1-2)
3...Ons Jabeur (0-3)
2...Barbora Krejcikova (2-0)
2...Marketa Vondrousova (1-1)
2...Elena Rybakina (1-1)
2...Coco Gauff (1-1)
2...MADISON KEYS (1-1)
2...Jasmine Paolini (0-2)

*AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINALS - ACTIVE*
3...ARYNA SABALENKA, BLR (2-1)
2...Naomi Osaka, JPN (2-0)
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2-0)
2...Venus Williams, USA (0-2)
1...Sofia Kenin, USA (1-0)
1...MADISON KEYS, USA (1-0)
1...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (1-0)
1...Danielle Collins, USA (0-1)
1...Jennifer Brady, USA (0-1)
1...Simona Halep, ROU (0-1)
1...Petra Kvitova, CZE (0-1)
1...Elena Rybakina, KAZ (0-1)
1...Zheng Qinwen, CHN (0-1)

*#1 WINS OVER SABALENKA (6)*
[2023]
Beijing QF - #5 Elena Rybakina/KAZ
WTA Finals rr - #5 Jessie Pegula/USA
WTA Finals SF - #2 Iga Swiatek/POL (W)
[2024]
WTA Finals rr - #5 Elena Rybakina/KAZ
WTA Finals SF - #3 Coco Gauff/USA (W)
[2025]
Australian Open Final - #14 Madison Keys/USA (W)
--
(W) - won title

*CAREER #1 WINS - ACTIVE U.S. WOMEN*
15 - Venus Williams
4 - Jessie Pegula
3 - Coco Gauff
3 - Sofia Kenin
2 - MADISON KEYS
1 - Jennifer Brady
1 - Danielle Collins
1 - Christina McHale
1 - Alison Riske-Amritraj

*FIRST TO TWO WTA TITLES IN SEASON (w/ event #); since '87*
1987 Mandlikova - Brisbane/AO (5)
1988 Shriver - Brisbane/Sydney (4)
1989 Navratilova - Sydney/Tokyo (5)
1990 Zvereva - Brisbane/Sydney (3)
1991 Novotna - Sydney/OKC (12)
1992 Sabatini - Sydney/Tokyo (5)
1993 Seles - AO/Chicago (7)
1994 Graf - AO/Tokyo (5)
1995 Graf - Paris Indoors/Delray (13)
1996 Seles - Sydney/AO (4)
1997 Hingis - Sydney/AO (5)
1998 Schnyder - Hobart/Hanover (8)
1999 Hingis - AO/Tokyo (6)
2000 Davenport - AO/IW (13; w/ 1 DNP final)
2001 Henin - Gold Coast/Canberra (3)
2002 Hingis - Sydney/Tokyo (7)
2003 S.Williams - AO/Paris Indoors (8)
2004 Henin - Sydney/AO (6)
2005 Sharapova - Tokyo/Doha (14)
2006 Mauresmo - AO/Paris Indoors (8)
2007 Henin - Dubai/Doha (14)
2008 Henin - Sydney/Antwerp (8)
2009 Dementieva - Auckland/Sydney (3)
2010 Dementieva - Sydney/Paris Indoors (6)
2011 Kvitova - Brisbane/Paris Indoors (6)
2012 Azarenka - Sydney/AO (5)
2013 Radwanska - Auckland/Sydney (4)
2014 Li - Shenzhen/AO (6)
2015 Halep - Shenzhen/Dubai (9)
2016 Stephens - Auckland/Acapulco (11)
2017 Ka.Pliskova - Brisbane/Doha (9)
2018 Kvitova - Saint Petersburg/Doha (9)
2019 Kvitova - Sydney/Stuttgart (19)
2020 Kenin - AO/Lyon (12)
2021 Kasatkina - Melb/P.I./S.P. (12; w/ 1 DNP final)
2022 Barty - Adelaide 1/AO (6)
2023 Sabalenka - Adelaide 1/AO (5)
2024 Ostapenko - Adelaide/Linz (7)
2025 Keys - Adelaide/AO (5)

*RECENT AO GIRLS SINGLES FINALS*
2012 Taylor Townsend/USA d. Yulia Putintseva/RUS
2013 Ana Konjuh/CRO d. Katerina Siniakova/CZE
2014 Elizaveta Kulichkova/RUS d. Jana Fett/CRO
2015 Tereza Mihalikova/SVK d. Katie Swan/GBR
2016 Vera Lapko/BLR d. Tereza Mihalikova/SVK
2017 Marta Kostyuk/UKR d. Rebeka Masarova/SUI
2018 Liang En-shuo/TPE d. Clara Burel/FRA
2019 Clara Tauson/DEN d. Leylah Fernandez/CAN
2020 Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva/AND d. Weronika Baszak/POL
2022 Petra Marcinko/CRO d. Sofia Costoulas/BEL
2023 Alina Korneeva/RUS d. Mirra Andreeva/RUS
2024 Renata Jamrichova/SVK d. Emerson Jones/AUS
2025 Wakana Sonobe/JPN d. Kristina Penickova/USA

*SLAM JR. SINGLES FINALS - JPN*
1969 Roland Garros - Kazuko Sawamatsu (W)
1969 Wimbledon - Kazuko Sawamatsu (W)
1993 US Open - Yuka Yoshida
2010 Wimbledon - Sachie Ishizu
2024 US Open - Wakana Sonobe
2025 Australian Open - Wakana Sonobe (W)

*AO WHEELCHAIR WD CHAMPIONS*
2002 Esther Vergeer, NED
2003 Esther Vergeer, NED
2004 Esther Vergeer, NED
2005 Mie Yaosa, JPN
2006 Esther Vergeer, NED
2007 Esther Vergeer, NED
2008 Esther Vergeer, NED
2009 Esther Vergeer, NED
2010 Korie Homan, NED
2011 Esther Vergeer, NED
2012 Esther Vergeer, NED
2013 Aniek van Koot, NED
2014 Sabine Ellerbrock, GER
2015 Jiske Griffioen, NED
2016 Jiske Griffioen, NED
2017 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2018 Diede de Groot, NED
2019 Diede de Groot, NED
2020 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2021 Diede de Groot, NED
2022 Diede de Groot, NED
2023 Diede de Groot, NED
2024 Diede de Groot, NED
2025 Yui Kamiji, JPN

*WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS - active*
28 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN (9-19)*
26 - Diede de Groot, NED (23-3)
16 - ANIEK VAN KOOT, NED (3-13)*
7 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4-3)
1 - Kgothatso Montjane, RSA (0-1)
1 - Momoko Ohtani, JPN (0-1)
1 - Zhu Zhenzhen, CHN (0-1)

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM SINGLES TITLES - all-time*
[AO-RG-WI-US]
23 - Diede de Groot, NED [6-5-6-6]*
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [9-6-x-6]
9 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN [3-4-0-2]*
4 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [2-1-1-0]*
3 - Aniek van Koot, NED [1-0-1-1]*
3 - Monique Kalkman, NED [0-0-x-3]
--
* - active

*ALL-TIME WC SLAM TITLES (M+W)*
50 - Shingo Kunieda, JPN (28/22)
42 - Esther Vergeer, NED (21/21)
42 - Diede de Groot, NED (23/19)*
32 - ALFIE HEWETT, GBR (10/22)*
30 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN (9/21)*
28 - GORDON REID, GBR (2/26)*
27 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3/24)*
--
* - active

*SLAM WHEELCHAIR JR. GIRLS' SINGLES FINALS*
2022 US: Jade Moreira Lanai/BRA def. Yuma Takamuro/JPN
2023 US: Ksenia Chasteau/FRA def. Maylee Phelps/USA
2024 RG: Ksenia Chasteau/FRA def. Maylee Phelps/USA
2024 US: Yuna Takamuro/JPN def. Vitoria Miranda/BRA
2025 AO: Vitoria Miranda/BRA def. Sabina Czauz/USA

*RECENT AO "IT" WINNERS*
2015 [Madisons] Madison Keys/USA & Madison Brengle/USA
2016 [NextGen Belarusian] Vera Lapko, BLR
2017 [Party] (Ash) "Barty Party"
2018 [Teen] Marta Kostyuk, UKR
2019 [Teen] Amanda Anisimova, USA
2020 [Arab] Ons Jabeur, TUN
2021 [Egyptian] Mayar Sherif, EGY
2022 [Teen Stars-in-Waiting] Marta Kostyuk/UKR & Clara Tauson/DEN
2023 [Czech Crusher] Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE
2024 [Ukrainians] Marta Kostyuk/UKR and Dayana Yastremska/UKR
2025 [Wheelchair Opportunist] Yui Kamiji, JPN






kosova-font







TOP QUALIFIER: Maja Chwalinska, POL
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #2 Iga Swiatek/POL
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): #19 Madison Keys/USA
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1 - #20 Maja Chwalinska/POL def. Dominika Salkova/CZE 7-6(3)/5-7/7-6(12-10) - Chwalinska in 3:23, was down a break twice in the 3rd. Salkova served for the win at 5-4, led 7-3 in the deciding MTB and held a pair of MP.
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - #8 Emma Navarro/USA def. Peyton Stearns/USA 6-7(5)/7-6(5)/7-5 - 3:22 between former NCAA champs; Stearns up set and 2-0, up 5-3 in 3rd and served at 5-4; Navarro wins 16/19 points to end
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 4th Rd. - #8 Emma Navarro/USA def. #9 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS 6-4/5-7/7-5 - Kasatkina saves 4 MP in 2nd and forces 3rd set; Kasatkina up break in final set and saves 7 BP in 4-4 hold; Navarro saved 2 BP at 5-5, then breaks from 30/love down to win fourth straight three-setter
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): SF - #19 Keys d. #2 Swiatek 5-7/6-1/7-6(10-8) - Keys saves MP and forces MTB, wins 10-8 to reach second major final
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #14 Mirra Andreeva/RUS (def. Marie Bouzkova/CZE)
FIRST SEED OUT: #29 Linda Noskova/CZE (1st Rd.- Tauson/DEN)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Destanee Aiava/AUS (6th MD), Talia Gibson/AUS (2nd MD), Suzan Lamens/NED (1st MD), Rebecca Sramkova/SVK (5th MD)
PROTECTED RANKING BEST: Belinda Bencic/SUI (4th Rd.) (2r-Birrell/AUS, Kovinic/MNE)
LUCKY LOSER BEST: Eva Lys/GER (4th Rd.) (2r-Dart/GBR)
UPSET QUEENS: Great Britain
REVELATION LADIES: Germany
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Czech Republic (1-4 1st Rd.; Kvitova/Pliskova/Krejcikova DNP; Vondrousova; Bouzkova First Loss; Noskova First Seed Out; Beljek 0-5 slam MD)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Destanee Aiava/AUS and Gabriela Ruse/ROU (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Talia Gibson/AUS, Iva Jovic/USA, Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS(L) and Zhang Shuai/CHN (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Destanee Aiava, Talia Gibson and Ajla Tomljanovic (all 2nd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Paula Badosa/ESP
IT (WC Opportunist): Yui Kamiji/JPN
COMEBACK PLAYER: Belinda Bencic/SUI
CRASH & BURN: #5 Zheng Qinwen/CHN (2r- 2024 finalist and Olympic Gold medalist out in 2 sets vs. Siegemund/GER)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Eva Lys/GER (LL added to MD on Day 3 ten minutes before start of 1r match; reaches 4th Rd. for first time at a major)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Madison Keys/USA
LADY OF THE EVENING: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR & Jelena Dokic (dancing on Laver)
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: ["A right corker"] The "Great Melbourne Coffee Scandal" erupts when Iga Swiatek says she prefers the cafe offerings of Sydney
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Siniakova/Townsend, Hsieh/Ostapenko
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Annika & Kristina Penickova, USA/USA





All for now. AO (and January) wrap-up tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 3:42 PM 

2 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

The Brisbane curse remains undefeated. Were you aware of that when you predicted that the three-peat wouldn't happen?

It's great to see that finally Keys has fulfilled her potential of winning a slam. Last year I said Keys would win Wimbledon. and I stick by that this year.

Sun Jan 26, 03:03:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

The interesting thing I just realized: in looking at that first-to-two-titles list, *Adelaide* has become a pretty good indicator for the AO champion. Barty (2022), Sabalenka (2023) and now Keys all got titles in both Adelaide and the AO in the same month.

I could see Wimbledon (or the US) happening now, honestly. That's sort of why I included the Capriati "comparison."

Sun Jan 26, 03:05:00 PM EST  

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