World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka angrily smashed her racket after losing her Australian Open crown to an unexpected challenger, 19th seed Madison Keys, and then explained that she had needed to clear her head before making the traditional runner-up speech.

While Keys’s belated capture of a maiden major title made for a heart-warming story, much of the post-match debate surrounded Sabalenka and her furious response.

When asked about her immediate reaction, which also found her leaving the court briefly, Sabalenka said that she had needed a mental reset after a dramatic finale in which Keys slammed three spectacular forehand winners in the space of the last eight points.

“There definitely was a bit of frustration because I was so close to achieve something crazy,” said Sabalenka, who was playing for her third successive Australian Open title after 20 straight wins at Melbourne Park.

“I just needed to throw those negative emotions at the end just so I could give a speech, not stand there being disrespectful. I was just trying to let it go and be a good person, be respectful.”

As for why she had left the court, Sabalenka offered a similar explanation. “I just needed that time for myself to switch off and forget. I just needed to throw those stuff out and needed some time with myself,” she said.

“Yeah, that’s definitely really tough. I was standing there and just was like, ‘OK, c’mon, you’ve been in her position. She deserve that. She was better player than you.’ Just, you know, it was tough.”

Sabalenka reacted in a similar way when Coco Gauff beat her in the 2023 US Open final, except that on that occasion she waited until she had returned to the backstage warm-up area before destroying her racket and stuffing it in a bin.

Footage of that incident was captured on a closed-circuit camera. It was then broadcast on social media in a move that some observers – including Judy Murray – felt was an invasion of Sabalenka’s privacy. “This footage should never have been made public,” Murray posted. “A private moment in an empty training room after the disappointment of losing a grand-slam final.”

Returning to this Australian Open, Sabalenka’s eventual speech at the presentation ceremony was very complimentary about Keys, whom she said had “been fighting really hard to get this trophy. You played unbelievable tennis, you crushed this tonight”.

There was, however, a certain bite to the way that Sabalenka addressed her own team, which is led by coach Anton Dubrov, fitness trainer Jason Stacy and hitting partner Andrei Vasilevksi. Even as she was walking up to the net to embrace Keys, Sabalenka was already holding out her hands and ranting at them. And when it came to the speech, she offered some distinctly barbed humour.

“Should I say anything to my team? As always, that’s your fault, guys. I don’t want to see you for the next week. I really hate you. No, anyway, thanks for everything you are doing for me and blah blah blah. I think we did our best, just Madison was playing incredible. Really I couldn’t do anything in this match, and next time I am playing against Madison, I am bringing better tennis. And of course, sending love to my team. Anyway I love you, even though we lost.”

While Sabalenka’s speech might have had a bit of edge, it was also delivered with a smile that made it very engaging, and the fans laughed along with every line. Despite her status as a multi-millionaire – and a nationality which will remain an embarrassment for as long as Belarus supports Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine – she is also a relatable character who shows her feelings in primary colours.

The aftermath of this match was a classic example. Keys enjoyed the bulk of the fans’ support for as long as the contest lasted, and the crowd’s loyalties can only have swung further in that direction when Sabalenka smashed her racket, pulled a towel over her head and then quickly left the court.

But Sabalenka won their respect back again with her excellent speech and then answered every question with equal transparency at her post-match press conference.

During that conversation, she was asked whether her previous success at Melbourne Park meant that she could no longer be satisfied with anything but the title here.

“I think when you get to the point of finals, it’s trophy or nothing,” Sabalenka replied. “Nobody remembers the finalist, you know?

“I mean, at this point, yeah, I go for titles. But, of course, I have to be anyway proud of myself with three finals in the row. That’s something crazy. I hope that next year I’ll come back as a better player, and I’ll hold Daphne [the Daphne Akhurst Trophy] one more time.”

Keys credits ‘lots of therapy’ for major breakthrough

First-time major winner Keys credited therapy with turning her career around by helping her to play with less angst.

In an emotional interview after her thrilling win over Sabalenka, Keys said that she had spent years burdened by the expectation that she would be a grand-slam champion.

It was only when Keys “finally got to the point where I was proud of myself and proud of my career, with or without a grand slam” that she was able to relax and swing freely in the manner that disposed of Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka in successive matches.

Asked what had helped her change her perception on life and sport, Keys replied: “Lots of therapy. To really start digging in on how I felt about myself, it was really hard because I didn’t want to be the person that felt like I was really struggling. But I was starting to really struggle with it [the expectation].

“So just being really honest and actually getting help and actually talking to someone, and not just about tennis but about how I felt about myself. Again, very uncomfortable. I never really like to be uncomfortable I honestly think that had I not done that, then I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

Asked whether therapy might be something that other players in the locker room would benefit from, Keys replied: “I think the more that we talk about actually using it as a tool, people will feel more comfortable with it.

“The WTA does a great job at having someone at tournaments now that you can go and you can talk to. It’s not only helpful for myself, but I think it’s helpful for a lot of us.

“The stigma around therapy in general, not just in sports, I think is slowly starting to go away. I think that everyone should be in therapy. No matter what’s going on in your life, you’re going to have moments where things are tough and you need someone to talk to.

“It’s something I will continue to do for the rest of my life. I think if more people do it and more people talk about it, then it just kind of becomes the norm. It’s almost as if you’re going to the doctor. No one bats an eye at that. I think it’s just kind of overwhelmingly needed for most people.”

• Sinner v Zverev in the Australian Open final - LIVE

11:36 AM GMT

Great Britain’s Henry Patten goes next in the men’s doubles final

Next on court at the Australian Open is Henry Patten. The man from Colchester is playing in the men’s doubles final with Harri Heliovaara against Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.

That is it from me from the women’s singles final. Thanks for reading.

11:28 AM GMT

Match summary

That last figure sums up how close that final was. The American won one point more than Sabalenka in the match.

Madison Keys wins 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 against Aryna Sabalenka

First serve in: Keys 67%-70% Sabalenka

First serve points won: 69%-60%

Second serve points won: 48%-62%

Winners: 29-29

Unforced errors: 31-33

Break points won: 4/9-3/8

Total points won: 92/91

11:24 AM GMT

Keys enjoys her moment

Madison Keys is still on court, signing autographs and soaking up the atmosphere. Just like the semi-final against Iga Swiatek, she played brave tennis and kept her nerve when it mattered.

Beating the world No 2 and world No 1 to win a grand slam: it does not get much harder than that.

11:15 AM GMT

“I have wanted this for so long”: Madison Keys on Australian Open victory

Madison Keys takes to the mic, clutching the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup as flashes go off.

11:07 AM GMT

“I hate you”: Aryna Sabalenka jokes to her coaching team after finishing runner-up

2023 and 2024 champion Sabalenka had a few minutes to regain her composure and sense of humour, with some tongue-in-cheek comments aimed at her support team. Her speech was warmly received by the crowd. She will stay as world No 1 after this tournament.

11:02 AM GMT

The trophy presentation begins

We will hear from Australian Open women’s singles winner Madison Keys and runner-up Aryna Sabalenka shortly.

The well-liked American will be a popular winner. This final was a far cry from her previous appearance in the decider of a major tournament, when she went down 6-3, 6-0 to Sloane Stephens in the 2017 US Open.

11:00 AM GMT

Perseverance pays off for veteran Keys

10:56 AM GMT

Sabalenka smashes her racket after defeat

10:55 AM GMT

Clinical Keys takes her chances

The quality of that final just improved over the match’s two hours. Keys had more pressure exerted on her in that last set, but when she saw an opening in the final game, she grabbed it. She is a major tournament winner for the first time at the age of 29 - old for tennis.

A bit of a disappointing reaction from Sabalenka, banging her racket on the floor moments after shaking hands with the umpire. A hard loss to take for the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open champion, clearly.

In the Rod Laver Arena, they are readying the court for the trophy presentation.

10:52 AM GMT

Bold, explosive tennis wins the day for Keys

Keys said she didn’t want to die wondering (I paraphrase) and those last two forehand winners were evidence of her living up to her promise. Absolute dynamite, those two shots. Takes courage to swing that hard at such a tense moment in a slam final.

10:50 AM GMT

A contrast in emotions

The two players hug at the net. Sabalenka drapes a towel over her head after smashing her racket. She is deveastated.

Madison Keys runs to her box and hugs her husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo. She has her hand over her mouth, she cannot believe it. The American sits in her chair, laughing to herself and crying.

The 29-year-old held true to her strategy, kept on the attack and fortune favoured the brave. It came down to those final moments. What a final.

10:49 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 6-2, 5-7 Keys

Sabalenka leans back and skies her first return. Then, a clutch backhand winner from Keys! She crunches it down the line. Sabalenka is rooted to the middle, aghast. 0-30 down.

The American swings at another winner, but it goes well out.

She brings up two match points, going toe-to-toe with Sabalenka, drawing an error from the world No 1. Two chances.

Sabalenka saves her skin with a booming first serve, Keys’s skied return sails centimetres wide of the sideline.

Madison Keys is the Australian Open champion. She has done it, with a characteristic forehand winner, going toe-to-toe with the best player in the world and beating her.

10:45 AM GMT

Terrific tennis in this memorable final’s third set

Some magnificent tennis in the deciding moments, reminiscent of the Sabalenka-Rybakina final here two years ago. Sabalenka has got to 30-30 a few times on the Keys serve but no break points in this third set yet.

10:45 AM GMT

Sabalenka 3-6, 6-2, 5-6 Keys*

Every point matters now. Keys balloons a backhand to start off on the back foot. Sabalenka makes a similar error on the next point.

Making the most of a second serve, Sabalenka lands a monstrous, deep forehand to make it 15-30. Keys levels it up with a smart first serve, spinning away from her rival, who can only get the end of her racket to the ball.

Sublime forehand down the line from the American, in response to a booming Sabalenka return. She used the pace, and how. Keys sees out the game, wrong-footing Sabalenka with another forehand. She has guaranteed a tie-break.

Remarkable level from both players at this juncture in the match, with so much at stake.

10:41 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 6-2, 5-5 Keys

Sabalenka looks tight as she dumps a return tamely into the net on the first point. Keys got a second serve but was a few centimetres shy of the sideline.

The Belarusian finds her serving consistency, forcing Keys out wide and then making her chase a ball back into the ad court. Textbook attacking tennis.

She makes it 40-15 with a fierce backhand, but the American hits back with one of her own, which Sabalenka stretches to and nets.

Sabalenka sees out the game with a kicker serve which fails to go over the net.

10:37 AM GMT

One of them will have their hands on that trophy soon

10:36 AM GMT

Sabalenka 3-6, 6-2, 4-5 Keys*

Keys is trying to batter Sabalenka into submission. A powerful forehand brings up 30-0 and a look of surprise on the face of Sabalenka.

The American is over-eager to come to the net and sends the ball long, while running in, but she finds another first serve straight at Sabalenka to bring up 40-15.

Keys chases down an average Sabalenka drop shot but whips the ball into the net. She sees out the game as Sabalenka sends a forehand beyond the baseline.

This is so close. Who will crack first?

10:33 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 6-2, 4-4 Keys

Both players seemed to have stepped it up.

Sabalenka lashes a backhand straight at volley-ready Keys, when the American was in the ascendancy, to make it 15-0. After sending her out wide with the next serve, she takes the return early and makes the backhand winner look easy.

A deft volley into open court and deep forehand winner gives the defending champion another hold to love. Winner after winner after winner. This is what I expected from this match-up of powerhouses.

10:30 AM GMT

Sabalenka 3-6, 6-2, 3-4 Keys*

Sabalenka gets width early in the rally, capitalising on a so-so second serve, and can bang a forehead winner from the net. Keys nets a backhand to make it 30-30.

Attack is Madison Keys’ best form of defence, her way of getting out of trouble. She sends down a fast, wide first serve and places the subsequent forehand perfectly into the ad court. The follow-up is a backhand winner down the line, eliciting a roar from the crowd.

Keys nods her head and clenches her fist. She believes, and she is two games from victory. But so far, this set has gone with serve.

10:27 AM GMT

Could be time to stop the drop shot for Sabalenka

The drop shot has lost its way. At a rough count, I reckon Sabalenka tried it five or six times in set two and won the lot. But her three attempts in set three have all been slightly under-hit and have smacked into the net tape.

10:26 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 6-2, 3-3 Keys

Sabalenka replies with her own contender for point of the match. Running full pelt to the corner, she somehow finds a backhand down the line which is as deep as it can be. Unanswerable. No wonder she gestures to the crowd afterwards to raise the volume even higher.

That is the pick of a comfortable hold to love from her service game. It’s 3-3 in the decider. This final could really go either way.

10:24 AM GMT

A match for the ages coming up?

Great hold there from Keys to make it 2-1 after going down 0-30. With any luck, we’ll have a nip-and-tuck deciding set like the one Keys fought out with Iga Swiatek in Friday’s semi-final.

Swiatek missed a match point towards the end of that one before going down 10-8 in the concluding tie-break.

10:23 AM GMT

Sabalenka 3-6, 6-2, 2-3 Keys*

Shot of the match so far, maybe to bring up 15-15. Madison Keys beams and sticks her tongue out, as well she might - it went her way.

She reached like a basketball player to get to a Sabalenka lob with her backhand at the net, the Belarusian sprinted, almost in the hoardings, to return it, but the American had the whole court to aim for.

A few Sabalenka errors, including an uncharacteristic netted drop shot to end the game. There has been little pressure on the server so far in this decisive third set, surprisingly.

10:20 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 6-2, 2-2 Keys

Sabalenka uses her powerful, first serve to great effect, kicking up to the backhand, to win the game’s third and fifth points. Keys cannot keep the ball in court.

Even her second serve is rising up, and Keys misjudges it at 40-15 down. She cannot attack the ball as well. Easy hold for Sabalenka.

10:16 AM GMT

Sabalenka 3-6, 6-2, 1-2 Keys*

Taking advantage of a couple of second serves, Sabalenka moves to 0-30, using a backhand drop shot. Keys was so far back she was basically in downtown Melbourne.

A booming forehand winner into the corner stems the tide. After a mishit return, Keys creams forehand after forehand to put Sabalenka under intense pressure, and she eventually nets to bring up 30-30.

A few Sabalenka netted returns gives Keys the game. She showed composure there.

10:13 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 6-2, 1-1 Keys

Another drop shot at 30-15 tantalisingly fails to go over the net. Possibly the first one she has missed.

However, the first serve is also firing and an errant Keys return leads to a straightforward hold of serve. This match is in the balance. Who can raise their level and hold it when it matters most?

10:11 AM GMT

Drop shots key to Sabalenka’s resurgence

Who’d have thunk it, but Sabalenka has drop-shotted her way to this second set. She’s such a bruiser of a player that it’s easy to underestimate her strategic insight, but this has been an ingenious way of breaking up Keys’s rhythm.

And it isn’t just the idea, either. Sabalenka has executed the shot quite brilliantly.

10:10 AM GMT

Third set: Sabalenka 3-6, 6-2, 0-1 Keys*

Keys wins to love, moving into the lead. That will allay some nerves. Unerring serving, drawing Sabalenka mistakes.

10:08 AM GMT

The statistics tell the story

83% of Sabalenka’s first serves in that set, versus 59% for Keys. She also had 13 winners to Keys’ eight.

Who is your money on? Let me know in the comments.

10:06 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 6-2 Keys

That sliced drop shot gets another airing to make it 30-0. Keys has not been able to read it, it has been one of Sabalenka’s most effective weapons.

After Keys gets to another drop shot with plenty of time and fires a return into the net, she brings up three set points.

Sabalenka needs all three after an error and an untimely double fault. At 40-30, chuntering away to herself, she gets down well to a powerful Keys return and the American sends the ball long.

That’s the set, 6-2. What a turn-around.

10:02 AM GMT

Sabalenka 3-6, 5-2 Keys*

Madison Keys sees out her service game after drawing several Sabalenka errors, the last a backhand dumped into the net. She could do with her first serve firing on all cylinders, like in the opening set.

The Belarusian has become the more consistent of the two players, but she will have to serve it out to make it one set apiece.

09:59 AM GMT

Sabalenka has all the moves

This is now officially a surge from Sabalenka. Some of her athleticism in those last couple of games would have impressed kung-fu legend and movie star Jackie Chan, who is watching from the front row.

09:57 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 5-1 Keys

There is not much rhythm to this match. Just when one player seems to be in the ascendancy, the pendulum threatens to swing back.

Sabalenka drops her racket after missing a straightforward return into open court as Keys sprinted cross-court away from the ball. At 0-30, Keys nets meekly.

She guts out the next point, trading ground strokes then finishing it with a 143km/h backhand winner which her adversary did not get close to.

Sabalenka finds a speedy first serve to save a break point then crushes a timely second ace of the match to bring up deuce.

A deft sliced drop shot from Sabalenka is met by a bullet-like forehand down the line, on the run, from Keys. They are both giving as good as they are getting.

The Belarusian nets a forehand, then fends off another break point with a clever cross-court drop shot. A deep, spin-heavy return and serve to the body force Keys errors to bring up the game.

09:51 AM GMT

This fierce competitor is well and truly back in the match

09:50 AM GMT

Sabalenka 3-6, 4-1 Keys*

The error count is ticking up for Madison Keys, as her opponent finds more height and length. Fewer first serves are landing in too.

Sabalenka notices Keys a long way back and plays a cute forehand drop shot to go 15-30 up. The American nets and has two break points to save.

The favourite only needs one, passing Keys with a well-placed forehand curling away from her. Sabalenka has found her range and her confidence. She is running away with the second set after a second break of the Keys serve.

09:46 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 3-1 Keys

Keys move to 0-30 with a blinding cross-court pass before sending two balls beyond the baseline. High-risk, high-reward tennis. She cannot let up now if she wants to win the Australian Open.

She slashes at a Sabalenka second serve and sends it long again. The Belarusian delivers a blistering first serve to make good her break.

09:44 AM GMT

Sabalenka shows her maturity to break Keys

That break of the Keys serve was a ripper of a game from both sides, and it featured a drop return from Sabalenka: perhaps the clearest indication of how far she has progressed tactically in the last couple of years. The young Sabalenka would have looked completely nonplussed if you had suggested that.

09:42 AM GMT

Sabalenka 3-6, 2-1 Keys*

Sabalenka moves into a dangerous position after a sublime, speedy forehand return into the corner and a passing shot down the line, which pings up off the net-cord and wrong-foots Keys. They all count.

Keys finds a wide first serve and Sabalenka buries a forehand into the net, then finds another ace to make it 30-30.

During a gritty trade-off of ground strokes, the No 1 seed clenches her fist after bringing up break point again but Keys responds with another ace.

However, down advantage after a wayward backhand return, Keys’ Exocet of a first serve gets her out of trouble, with Sabalenka unable to get the ball back in court.

At last, the pressure tells. Another advantage, after walloping a forehand into the corner which sat up invitingly. Bread and butter for Sabalenka.

She converts her fifth break point, returning a backhand high. Keys, on the run, can only find the net. It was coming.

09:36 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6, 1-1 Keys

Aryna Sabalenka changes her racket during the brief break, looking for new tension and an improvement in play.

She almost hits her opponent with an overhead, bouncing off Keys’ racket and into her head, and offers an apology.

A much-needed ace helps her cause, but she loses her balance playing a forehand and it sails wide of the sideline for 30-30. A couple of Keys errors give Sabalenka the game. She needed that.

09:32 AM GMT

Second set: Sabalenka 3-6, 0-1 Keys*

Sabalenka throws her racket to the floor after sending a gettable forehand volley wide after making Keys scurry left and right. However, moments later, she shows her deftness with an unexpected forehand drop shot, Keys clapping one of her best shots.

At 30-30, the Belarusian brings up break point with a booming forehand return into the corner. Keys comes to the net off an average slice, but Sabalenka’s forehand goes into the net. That was a chance.

Keys goes in again off a body serve and forehand and they trade shots into the net to go back to deuce. A weak forehand into the net brings up advantage Sabalenka. Keys is nerveless, delivering an ace on the forehand side.

Pressure, what pressure? Keys wins the game - the match’s longest, six minutes in duration - by methodically moving Sabalenka around the court before delivering a winner. Then, a direct serve forces a return into the net.

09:26 AM GMT

Sabalenka handed back the initiative

A slight drop-off there from Keys in the last couple of games, but then Sabalenka handed back the initiative with her fourth double-fault. A badly timed one indeed! The only upside is that she has been competing better in the last ten minutes or so. It could give her something to build on.

Sabalenka has gone off to compose herself via a bathroom break and Keys has gone to speak to her coach and husband Bjorn Fratangelo. His ability to read a match, he said this week, is his “superpower”.

09:25 AM GMT

Sabalenka takes a bathroom break

The Belarusian has taken a little time to regroup. She is the champion and has come back from a set down before. The question is, can Madison Keys keep up this level and can Sabalenka reduce her error count?

09:22 AM GMT

Keys is in the zone

Everything coming off Keys’s racket is gold at the moment. The backhand drop shot from behind the baseline early in her last service game was genius – and completely unexpected, given her image as a one-dimensional power player.

She’s defended exceptionally well so far, to complement her lethal attacking game. In fact, she’s been in the zone. Can she stay there for the whole match with a major on the line?

09:21 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 3-6 Keys

Sabalenka goes 0-30 down, with two errors when seemingly in control of the rally.

A slider serve into Keys’ backhand leads to a return which goes wide. Then, she finds another first serve and a deep return bang on the baseline to make it 30-30.

But a fourth double fault leads to another set point for Madison Keys. All have been on the same, deuce side.

The American bashes a backhand down the line to win the first set. Clinical and powerful, summing up how she has played so far.

09:18 AM GMT

Sabalenka 3-5 Keys*

Sabalenka goes 15-0 down, shanking a forehand. She looks to the heavens for help. There is precious little rhythm or relaxation in her game.

Then, Keys has a string of errors. She runs at a ball sitting up in the service box and sends it out, then nets her backhand. She goes for a sliced backhand, which finds the net again and puts her 15-40 down. Nerves and some bad shot-making decisions, seemingly.

Still, that’s her brand of high-risk, high-reward tennis. Sabalenka breaks back at 30-40, as Keys sprays a backhand into the net post. How important could this moment be?

09:14 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 2-5 Keys

Too many stray shots from Sabalenka, sending an inviting volley into the net and a backhand long to put herself under more pressure.

At 15-30 down, Keys’ forehand bounces up off the net-cord and Sabalenka’s backhand in the response kisses the side line by the smallest of margins. Keys can only smile.

Then, she goes 30-40 up, firing direct shots at Sabalenka at the net, before passing her cross-court with her backhand, bringing up set point and a chance for a third break.

A timely, powerful first serve saves it for the pre-match favourite and she comes through the first deuces of the match. Keys pegs it back to deuce again with a curving forehand winner, but a fierce Sabalenka backhand has her on the run and then the American nets.

Keys will serve for the first set.

09:06 AM GMT

Sabalenka 1-5 Keys*

This opening set is rapidly running away from Sabalenka. She smiles to herself as Keys squeezes a backhand drop-shot over and in, as if to say “this level cannot possibly last.”

Finesse as well as force from the American. She finds several first serves and finishes with an ace to go 5-1 up after surely the quickest game of the match so far.

09:04 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 1-4 Keys

Sabalenka goes 30-15 up with a first serve that pushes Keys out wide and keeps her on the run before burying a forehand winner. Much more like the player we are used t seeing.

However, Keys levels it up with a cute cross-court pass, with Sabalenka only able to watch at the net. The Belarusian then delivers another double fault, the second serve bouncing out off the net-cord.

Break point down, she has the angles after finding a first serve, but her return to a low, scrambling Keys return goes into the net. Sabalenka is two breaks down. This is a real surprise.

08:59 AM GMT

Sabalenka 1-3 Keys*

Boom-boom tennis. Keys doesn’t waste any time moving into the lead, tucking a forehand return right into the corner of the court.

However, 40-15 up, she forces affairs and sends it long and wide. Errors are inevitable in her high-risk strategy. But the Illinois native finds another first serve and Sabalenka can only balloon the ball long.

08:57 AM GMT

Sabalenka* 1-2 Keys

Keys is playing the more direct, assured tennis. She sends a stinging forehand past Sabalenka to make it 15-30. The Belarusian is missing a fair few first serves, giving her adversary more opportunities.

However, the No 19 seed sends a backhand long to make it 30-30 and Sabalenka gets off the mark, forcing two unforced return errors into the net with some smart serving, going to wide.

08:52 AM GMT

Sabalenka 0-2 Keys*

Keys finds her range immediately with two powerful first serves, going up to 30-0.

However, Sabalenka returns well to peg it back to 30-30, moving the American round the court. Keys takes her opponent wide with her forehand and buries a volley at the net to move to 40-30 and another assured first serve makes good her early break. Ideal start for Keys.

08:50 AM GMT

First set: Aryna Sabalenka* 0-1 Madison Keys (denotes server)

A nervy double fault to start from Sabalenka, who serves first. However, she settles with a winner down the line.

Another unforced error into the net takes it to 30-30, then she sprays another couple of serves wide, logging a second double fault to face break point.

Keys doesn’t need a second chance. She sends a pacy forehand deep which grazes the baseline then has Sabalenka scrambling on the next one, and the Belarusian could only net it.

08:46 AM GMT

Britain’s Patten goes for doubles glory

A reminder as the players warm up, due to start in a couple of minutes.

There is British participation in a final today. Henry Patten teams up with Harri Heliovaara after this, up against third seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.

08:43 AM GMT

Three-peat incoming for Sabalenka at the Australian Open?

08:41 AM GMT

John McEnroe backs his compatriot

08:38 AM GMT

The players walk out onto the Rod Laver Arena

Madison Keys goes first, waving to the roaring crowd. As per usual, the defending champion Sabalenka has her headphones on as she comes out, acknowledging their cheers too.

Eliminating early jitters will be crucial.

08:36 AM GMT

Has Keys overcome demons from dramatic 2023 US Open semi-final loss?

It is difficult to forget the 2023 US Open semi-final between this pair. Keys seemingly could not miss in the first set: Sabalenka was rocked to her core, losing it 6-0 as Keys hit 12 winners to five unforced errors in a peerless early display.

She served for the win at 5-4, but lost that second set in a tie-break. Up again 4-2 in the third set, Sabalenka pegged her back and won 10-5 in the deciding tie-break. Keys broke down emotionally afterwards and it took a long time to get over that crushing defeat.

08:31 AM GMT

Who do you think will win?

“Sabalenka to win for sure but Keys will give her a good run for her money,” says Laurent in the comments.

I hope so. Fingers crossed for a high-quality encounter, where neither player is blown away or adversely affected by nerves.

08:27 AM GMT

Heat should not be an issue in Melbourne

The weather has varied during the Australian Open, held during summer Down Under, but there is little chance of heatstroke or serious dehydration today. The mercury is at 21 degrees celsius ahead of the final, taking place at 7.30pm local time.

08:19 AM GMT

The Sabalenka supremacy

Sabalenka has played like her world No1 ranking this fortnight in Melbourne, mixing power and poise. At home on the hard courts, she has likened this to a “home slam”. A lot could come down to momentum and how she starts today: Keys has to give as good as she gets.

The Belarusian took 15 minutes to get going against Paula Badosa in the semi-final, dropping serve straight away. Then, she found her rhythm and won 12 of the next 16 games, hitting relatively few unforced errors.

Badosa was shrugging at times during the match and likened it to PlayStation tennis afterwards. “If Aryna plays like that, you can give her the trophy,” she said.

08:08 AM GMT

The moment Madison Keys came back from match point down in her semi-final

08:04 AM GMT

Djokovic gets booed

Hopefully, there will not be any injury issues today. Novak Djokovic attracted the ire of some crowd members in the Rod Laver Arena yesterday, booing him after he pulled out of his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev after narrowly losing the first set tie-break.

“Towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain,” Djokovic said. “It was too much to handle for me at that moment. Yeah, unfortunate ending, but I tried.”

As for any moral panic over so-called rowdy tennis fans at this year’s Australian Open? Lighten up, says our own Simon Briggs, sport is meant to be fun.

07:56 AM GMT

Keys playing all the right notes

Madison Keys has played like she has nothing to lose this fortnight. High-risk, high-reward tennis.

She is also reaping the rewards of technique change, switching her service motion after deciding it was putting excessive strain on her body following a couple of injuries in 2024.

However, it is enough to make a lot of us feel old and creaky that Keys, three weeks away from turning 30, is the oldest women’s finalist here since Venus Williams in 2017.

07:44 AM GMT

Sabalenka keeping elite company

07:37 AM GMT

A clash of heavy hitters

Good morning and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, minute-by-minute coverage of the Australian Open women’s singles final between Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys.

World No 1 Sabalenka is the big favourite, having won the previous two editions of this tournament. Few can live with the Belarusian’s power and intensity.

The only interruption to Sabalenka’s serene passage to another final was a quarter-final against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, coming through 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. That is the sole set she has dropped. Close friend and former world No 2 Paula Badosa had little answer to her accuracy and pace in the semi-final.

If she wins today, as many expect, Sabalenka will become the first woman to win three consecutive Australian Open titles since Martina Hingis in 1999.

“It’s crazy that I’m in a situation where I have a chance to put my name next to legends. I couldn’t dream about that,” Sabalenka said.

29-year-old opponent Keys is a surprise finalist, though she has been in the business end at major tournaments on and off over the last decade. This is her second major final, coming seven years after she lost 6-3, 6-0 to Sloane Stephens in a 2015 US Open decider which only lasted 61 minutes.

However, if this match is anything like Keys’ blockbuster semi-final win over Iga Swiatek, we are in for a treat. She summoned all her willpower and fearlessness to see off a match point and beat her more illustrious rival in a final set tie-break.

It will surely be played at a different rhythm, on the front foot, with clean winners galore. Sabalenka and Keys are two of the biggest servers and hardest hitters on the WTA Tour.

With 28 aces in her six matches so far, the American has the second highest count in the Australian Open women’s singles draw. (She has also logged 23 double faults, mind.)

Nineteenth seed Keys has had the tougher tune-up, getting the better of Danielle Collins, Elina Svitolina and Elena Rybakina before outgunning Swiatek, who had looked imperious until that point in the tournament. She has been taken to three sets in four of her six matches en route to the final, with an aggressive, regrets-free strategy.

Confidence will be high for both finalists, who have win streaks stretching into double figures. Sabalenka started 2025 winning the Brisbane International, while Keys came out on top at the Adelaide International before coming here.

Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 4-1, though Keys came within a game of beating her in straight sets in the 2023 US Open semi-final, leading 6-0, 5-3, before losing in a third-set tie-break. The American found that heartbreak hard to digest, but it could be a different beast facing Sabalenka.

“After I lost to Aryna at the US Open, I felt like I tried to play safe, and I wasn’t playing how I wanted to in the big moments,” Keys reflected after her semi-final win. “That felt so bad. I just felt like if I can go out and do what I want to do and really just, again, be uncomfortable at times and just actually go for it and continue to play the way I play my best tennis, and I lose, then I can walk away and say, ‘OK, I did my best, she beat me, that’s fine.”

The 2025 Australian Open women’s singles final starts at 8.30am GMT. Who do you think will win? Get those comments coming in.