Australian Open Winners & Losers: Madison Keys shines as Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek left wondering

L-R: Madison Keys, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek.
Madison Keys, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek.

A fascinating Australian Open women’s singles finals culminated in a memorable final, with Madison Keys downing Aryna Sabalenka to lift her first Grand Slam title.

With the dust now settling, we look back at the biggest winners and losers from the Australian Open women’s singles draw.

Big Winners

Madison Keys: Is the new Australian Open champion the most popular Grand Slam winner ever? The reaction to Keys’ triumph Down Under has been one of unbridled joy for a woman who is one of the most popular in the locker room. It was a stunning triumph for the American, who battled through a tough pathway in style.

Paula Badosa: Less than a year after falling well out of the top 100, Badosa is back in the top 10 and has a first Grand Slam semi-final to her name. A remarkable turnaround over the past few months continued in style for the Spaniard.

Eva Lys: After finding out 10 minutes before her opening match that she had received a lucky loser place in the draw, Lys would make history by going all the way to the fourth round in Melbourne. It was one of the feel-good stories of the event – and she’ll now crack the top 100.

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Big Losers

Coco Gauff: Gauff struggled to play her best tennis in Melbourne and was dismantled by Badosa in the quarter-finals. Defeat in the last eight is hardly a disaster but this does feel like a slight missed opportunity for the third seed.

Jessica Pegula: Outside of her US Open run, Pegula has now failed to reach the second week of a major since the start of 2024. The US star is rock solid outside of the majors but her Grand Slam form is dipping.

Zheng Qinwen: Expectations were high for the fifth seed in Melbourne after a strong end to 2024 but last year’s beaten finalist was stunned in round two by Laura Siegemund. It will be interesting to see how she navigates the next few months after a difficult defeat.

Jasmine Paolini: Paolini’s earliest Slam exit since the 2023 US Open saw the world No 4 fade badly against Elina Svitolina in round three. All eyes will be on how the Italian now backs up her incredible 2024 results across the rest of the season.

Winner….& loser?

Aryna Sabalenka: Reaching the final – and winning 20 straight matches in Melbourne – is no mean feat, and certainly an achievement to be proud of for Sabalenka. However, she was unable to fend off Keys – and missed her opportunity for a historic three-peat.

Iga Swiatek: Just a second semi-final Down Under represents a positive for Swiatek, who has closed the points gap between herself and world No 1 Sabalenka, though missing a match point against Keys in the last four suggests this was a big missed chance for a sixth major final.

Emma Raducanu: Two solid wins over Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova were followed by a heavy defeat to Swiatek in the third round for Raducanu. Once again, it feels like a case of two steps forward, two steps back.

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