Madison Keys reaches Australian Open final: How many Grand Slam finals has she played?

American player Madison Keys will face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the 2025 Australian Open final with the hope of winning her first Grand Slam of her career after she defeated No 2 seed, Iga Swiatek, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (8), in an impressive comeback. While the 29-year-old, who turns 30 in February, isn’t among the usual players to reach this stage of a major consistently, it won’t be her first final in a major.

In 2017, Keys reached the US Open final, facing her compatriot and friend Sloane Stephens. They were the only two American women to face each other in the final match of a singles major other than the Williams sisters since 2005.

Despite coming from a dominant win over CoCo Vandeweghe, Keys’ efforts weren’t enough against Stephens, who won 6-3, 6-0 to clinch her first Grand Slam title. Stephens became the second unseeded woman in the Open Era to win the US Open (after Kim Clijsters in 2009).

This weekend, though, Keys will face Sabalenka, the World No. 1 and who is looking to win the three-peat in Australia. The last woman who achieved that feat was Martina Hingis, who completed her three straight victories in Melbourne in 1999.

Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys after the 2017 US Open final ( Elsa/Getty Images)

What is Madison Keys’ record against Sabalenka?

Sabalenka and Keys have faced each other five times, with the Belarusian having a favorable record against the American: 4-1. The only victory from Keys came in 2021 during the Round of 16 of the Berlin Open.

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Meanwhile, their last Grand Slam encounter took place in 2023 in the semifinals of the US Open. While Keys started the game with an impressive 6-0 win in the first set, Sabalenka recovered to take the match, winning the last two sets in tie break.

Madison Key’s Grand Slam record: Best result on each major

• Australian Open – Final (2025)
• French Open – Semifinal (2018, l. to Sloane Stephens)
• Wimbledon – Quarter-finals (2015, l. Agnieszka Radwańska; 2023, l. to Sabalenka)
• US Open – Final (2017, l. to Sloane Stephens)

Who was the last American woman who won an Australian Open?

Sofia Kenin is the last American to have won an Australian Open, after she clinched the title in 2020, defeating Spaniard Garbiñe Muguruza. Jennifer Brady (2021) and Danielle Collins (2022) ended up runner-ups.