Madison Keys played a classic game, and now Florida has a runner-up in the Australian Open 2025.
The Orlando resident survived Iga Swiatekthe No. 2 player in the WTA rankings and five-time Grand Slam champion, in a semifinal match held Thursday morning in the United States, the Keys lost the first set and faced two match points , but she capitalized on Swiatek’s mistakes to take her second chance at a major title.
“Yes, I’m in the final,” the No. 19-ranked Keys said with relief. “That match was at a very high level, and she played so well and I felt like I was fighting to stay there. I kind of really ran with the second one and then the third one was just a battle. To be able to be here and compete in the final is absolutely incredible, and I’m so excited to be here on Saturday.”
It’s been a tough road for Keys, 29, who was seen as the next big American tennis star to succeed Serena Williams after bursting onto the scene as a teenager. The trainer she hired in 2023 helped rejuvenate her — which is a good thing, because he’s also her new husband. Keys still has a big test ahead of her: Aryna Sabalenka, ranked No. 1the two-time reigning champion in Melbourne.
Watch the Australian Open live on ESPN+
Florida could earn another Australian Open finalist if it was former UF star Ben Shelton wins his men’s semi-final before dawn Friday morning against No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Here’s what to know about Keys, including her Florida upbringing, her Grand Slam history and how to watch her in the Australian Open women’s final:
Did Madison Keys win today in the semi-final of the Australian Open?
Yes. Madison Keys won an instant classic against No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek – 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (8) – to advance to her second career Grand Slam final. Keys faced match point, but Swiatek fired a shot into the net, then saw her serve broken on a double fault, leading to a tiebreaker in the final set. Swiatek also led 8-7 in the final set tiebreaker, but Keys won three straight points to win the match.
Interview with Madison Keys
The on-court interviewer opened her conversation with Keys by saying that “this had to be one of the best women’s semi-final matches I’ve seen in a very long time.”
“At the end, I feel like we were both nervous and really pushing each other, and it was just about who can get that last point and who can be just a little better than the other one. And I’m happy it was me,” Keys said to laughter from the crowd.
Who is Madison Keys playing in the Australian Open women’s final? #1 Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka, No. 1 player in the WTA rankings and champion of the last two Australian Open, awaits Keys in Saturday’s final. The 26-year-old Belarusian, who also won the 2024 US Open, beat No. 11 Paula Badosa in straight sets to advance to her third consecutive final in Melbourne. She lost a set in the tournament.
Keys is 1-4 in her career against Sabalenka. She lost to Sabalenka in two Grand Slam events in 2023: the Wimbledon quarterfinals and the US Open semifinals. Keys’ only victory came in Berlin in 2021.
Did Madison Keys win a Grand Slam?
Madison Keys has come close but has yet to win a major tournament. Her greatest success came at the US Open, where she reached her only other Grand Slam final, losing to fellow Floridian Sloane Stephens in straight sets in 2017.
She has appeared in five other major semifinals: the 2023 US Open, the 2022 Australian Open, the 2018 US and French Opens, and the 2015 Australian Open. Keys has reached four more major quarter-finals: Wimbledon 2023, Roland-Garros 2019, Australian Open 2018 and Wimbledon 2015.
Where is Madison Keys from? When did she move to Florida?
Keys was born on February 17, 1995, in Rock Island, Illinois, a town near the Iowa border. It’s about 175 miles east of Des Moines and 170 miles west of Chicago.
Keys moved to Florida at the age of 10, while her family moved to Boca Raton so she could continue her tennis career at the prestigious Evert Tennis Academy. She made her WTA debut at age 14, win your first professional match at Ponte Vedra Beach. She currently lives with her husband in Orlando.
Parents of Madison Keys: who are Rick and Christine Keys?
Madison Keys’ mother and father are both lawyers. Rick Keys still practices in Madison’s home county, Illinois, while Christine Keys has retired to live in Florida with Madison and her younger sisters, Montana and Hunter. Christine spent 10 years helping Madison become a tennis star before returning to work as a lawyer in Illinois.
Madison said she got into tennis while watching Venus Williams at Wimbledon and asked her father about the white dress she wore. Rick said she could only do it if she started playing tennis, and that’s what she did, Madison said. after her first WTA match in 2009.
Although Christine had no athletic experience, Rick played basketball at Division III Augustana College.
Husband and trainer of Madison Keys: who is Bjorn Fratangelo?
Keys married fellow professional tennis player Bjorn Fratangelo on November 23, just two months ago, in Charleston, South Carolina. Several tennis stars were present, including Jessica Pegula and Sloane Stephens.
The two met as children at the Evert Tennis Academy and began dating in 2017. Fratangelo, 31, won the French Open junior championship in 2011 and ranked 99th in the rankings ATP.
While still playing in 2023, he became Keys’ coach after she played across Europe without one. It was a decision he was reluctant to make, but it paid off for Keys as she won the Eastbourne event and reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and the semi-finals of the US Open. So he retired to become her full-time coach.
“What’s really great about Bjorn is that when he says that, he absolutely means it,” she said after a match earlier in the tournament, according to Athletics. “Okay, you came out, you tried to execute the game plan and you missed a few too many. It’s good. We go back, we work on it, and that’s how it is. He really doesn’t care if I win or lose. Obviously he wants me to win, but it’s really, ‘How did you play?’ Have you implemented the things we’ve been working on? »
How many tournaments has Madison Keys won?
Keys is a nine-time winner on the WTA Tour. Her first tournament victory came in Eastbourne, United Kingdom, in 2014. Only once has she won two events in one year: in 2019, when she won the titles in Charleston and Cincinnati . Keys won the Adelaide Invitational on January 11 ahead of the 2025 Australian Open.
Keys has competed in four Billie Jean King Cups (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019) and represented the United States at the 2016 Olympics.
Australian Open Prize Money: How Much Can Madison Keys Win?
The Aussie Open prize pool stands at $96.5 million, with the men’s and women’s champions taking home a tournament record $3.5 million, according to Sports news. The runner-up wins $1.9 million.
When is the Australian Open women’s final?
Madison Keys faces Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s final at 3:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, January 25.
How to watch the Australian Open women’s final
Madison Keys vs. Aryna Sabalenka can be seen on ESPN and streamed live on ESPN+. The match will be rebroadcast at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN2 and can be watched on demand on ESPN+.
Contributor: Scooby Axson, USA TODAY
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This article originally appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: Madison Keys at Australian Open 2025: Family, Husband, Coach, Story
