Madison Keys was a tennis prodigy, beating Serena Williams when she was just 14 years old, but had not won a grand slam title in her 15 year career.

Madison Keys appeared destined for a Grand Slam trophy. 16 years later on a breezy night in Melbourne, she held it in her hands.

Madison Keys' incredible triumph over Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final sparked a wave of reactions across the tennis world. Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, Jessica Pegula, and Petra Kvitova were among those who congratulated Keys on securing the trophy.

Madison Keys — using a mix of solid serves, power and defense — upset two-time defending champion and top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to win the Australian Open on Saturday, giving the 29-year-old American her first Grand Slam title in 46 tries.

With women’s tennis on the verge of an epic showdown between its top two players with the Australian Open title on the line, Keys, the 29-year-old American, crashed the party. She stormed back against Iga Swiatek to win their semifinal 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8).

Madison Keys, once an 11-year-old prodigy overshadowed by expectations, overcame her struggles to win the Australian Open nearly 16 years after turning professional. Beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka,

Madison Keys started her rise as a tennis star in Boca Raton and lives in Orlando with her husband. She beat Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final.

Madison Keys stunned Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open women’s final to win her long-awaited first grand slam title while denying the World No 1 a historic ‘three-peat’. Keys halted Sabalenka’s winning run in Melbourne and triumphed in the battle of two big-hitters, winning 6-3 2-6 7-5 in a thrilling deciding set on the Rod Laver Arena.

Go for it. Those were the mantras Madison Keys turned to as she confronted the most significant points of her tennis career, trapped in the cauldron of a third set that was tied at 5-all, 30-all in the Australian Open final against two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday.

Madison Keys became the third American player to win a Grand Slam title this decade, joining Sofia Kenin at the 2020 Australian Open and Coco Gauff at the 2023 US Open.

Being told you will be a future world number one at the age of 14 is an extremely tough burden for any young athlete to carry -- just ask Madison Keys. "That was a pretty heavy burden to kind of carry around.