World number one Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock defeat in the second round of the Qatar Open on Tuesday. The Belarusian was thwarted by Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in a tense encounter lasting over two and a half hours. This was Sabalenka’s first match since losing the Australian Open final in three sets to Madison Keys in January. Alexandrova has turned up in Doha in good form after claiming her fifth WTA title in Linz last week.

The 26th-ranked Alexandrova picked herself up after going one set down to level in the second – but not before an unscheduled appearance by an inquisitive four-legged feline spectator.

With the score at 2-2, 40-30 to Sabalenka, a cat nonchalantly took centre stage, inspecting proceedings courtside before sauntering off via the player’s entrance.

Alexandrova shrugged off the interruption to level the match, then held her nerve to force the deciding set to a tie-break which she took 7-5.

Sabalenka was back competing at the Qatar Open for the first time since 2022, having won the 2020 title in what is the first WTA 1000 event of the season.

Alexandrova’s reward was a last-16 date with Belgian Elise Mertens.

Also dumped out was Coco Gauff who lost in straight sets to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

Former US Open champion Gauff blew a healthy advantage in the second set as Kostyuk sealed a 6-2, 7-5 victory and a third-round meeting with Poland’s Magda Linette.

“Coco is an incredible fighter,” Kostyuk said. “We always have incredible matches. I tried to stick to what I had to do.”

Gauff, playing for the first time since a quarter-final loss to Paula Badosa at the Australian Open, served seven double-faults and made 39 unforced errors in an erratic display.

The American made a terrible start, slipping 4-1 behind after dropping her serve twice.

Gauff was broken again in the eighth game as Kostyuk secured the first set in just half an hour.

The world number three hit back with a break en route to a 4-2 lead in the second set as she started to find her rhythm.

But Kostyuk battled back, taking advantage of an error-strewn Gauff performance which ended when she served two double-faults to be broken for the fifth time.

Rybakina through

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina eased into the last 16.

Rybakina, who lost to eventual winner Belinda Bencic in the Abu Dhabi semi-finals last week, saw off Peyton Stearns in her opening match.

The fifth seed cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 win despite a late wobble to set up a third-round tie against Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova who beat Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Rybakina led 5-0 in the second set but missed three match points to take it 6-0 and then briefly fell apart as Stearns dragged the set back on serve.

She belatedly got over the line on her fifth match point.

Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen joined Gauff in crashing out, though, beaten 6-4, 6-2 by Ons Jabeur.

Three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur claimed her first win against a top-10 opponent since last year’s Madrid Open after struggling with injury.

The Tunisian will next face 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

Jasmine Paolini, last year’s French Open and Wimbledon runner-up, also made a winning start to her campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Caroline Garcia in the second round.

American sixth seed Jessica Pegula negotiated a tricky second-round match, battling past Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), but ninth seed Badosa lost in straight sets to Amanda Anisimova.

Czech youngster Linda Noskova earned a last-16 tie against three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.

Madison Keys on Saturday finally claimed her long-awaited Grand Slam title, defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka to win the 2025 Australian Open women’s singles title. The 29-year-old American triumphed 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in a thrilling final under the lights of Rod Laver Arena, lasting two hours and two minutes.

With this victory, Keys etched her name in history as the first woman to defeat the world’s top two players at a major since Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2009 French Open, and the first to do so at the Australian Open since Serena Williams in 2005.

At 29, Keys is one of the older first-time major champions. She becomes the fourth-oldest behind Flavia Pennetta, who was 33 when she won the 2015 US Open, Ann Jones, who was 30 when she won Wimbledon in 1969, and Francesca Schiavone, who was 29 when she triumphed at Roland Garros in 2010.

Sabalenka was furious after the loss and smashed her racket. 

Belarussian star #Sabalenka ( who won 20 Australian Open matches in a row ) seen smashing own racket in disgust of her defeat#belarussiangirl #belarusia #sport pic.twitter.com/jqFVXb5z6O

— Ali Shunnaq (@schunnaq) January 25, 2025

Aryna Sabalenka was asked about throwing her racquet after losing the Australian Open final:

“I needed to throw those negative emotions at the end just so I could give a speech. I was just trying to let it go & be a good person, be respectful”

pic.twitter.com/BS1ejILnKP

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 25, 2025

Keys enters the history books not just for her victory, but also for her impressive form leading up to the tournament. Her 12-match winning streak, which includes the Adelaide title two weeks earlier, is the longest of her career. Interestingly, this final was the first between players who had both won lead-up tournaments since the Australian Open shifted to its January calendar position in 1987.

Two-time defending champion Sabalenka had come into the final on a 20-match winning streak at Melbourne Park and with an 11-0 unbeaten record in 2025 after lifting the Brisbane trophy three weeks ago. She had been aiming to become the first woman to seal a hat-trick of Australian Open titles since Martina Hingis in 1997-99, and owned a 4-1 head-to-head lead over No.19 seed Keys.

The Australian Open marked Keys’ 46th Grand Slam main-draw appearance. Only two players have taken more appearances before winning their first title — Flavia Pennetta with 49, and Marion Bartoli with 47.

Madison Keys arrived in Australia under the radar and with the modest goal of seeing how well she could perform with her 30th birthday looming next month. The resilient American now has the answer after defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in Saturday’s Australian Open final. It is Keys’s first major title, having reached a second Grand Slam final eight years after her first in New York. She lost on that occasion to Sloane Stephens.

The 6-3, 6-0 loss has rankled ever since, but it was also a learning experience.

“I think during that match I was so consumed with being nervous and the moment and the opportunity and all of that, that I never really gave myself a chance to actually play,” she said this week.

“I think the big thing for me has just been knowing that there are going to be a lot of moments where I’m uncomfortable in the match.

“It’s going to be stressful. You have thousands of people watching you.”

Now ranked 14, Keys will return to the top 10 for the first time since 2019 next week.

She made her first semi-final at Melbourne Park in 2015 as a prodigious 19-year-old to showcase her potential.

A decade on, she defeated world number two Iga Swiatek in the last four this time to set up a showdown with world number one Sabalenka.

The Belarusian had been attempting to become the first woman to win three Melbourne crowns in a row since Martina Hingis from 1997-1999.

But Keys, the 19th seed and underdog, made a nonsense of all that to clinch the title 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in an absorbing final.

‘Sharpening the axe’

Keys ended her season early in October last year and married her coach, Bjorn Fratangelo, a month later.

The two players had been dating since 2017 and Fratangelo became her coach in 2023.

Fratangelo told reporters on the eve of the final that he felt Keys’s best was yet to come.

“I think she’s nowhere near her full potential,” said Fratangelo, a fellow American who won the boys’ singles at the 2011 French Open.

“Sharpening the axe can get you so far, but sometimes you just need new tools. I think that’s what I’ve tried to bring to the table.”

Sabalenka and Keys both boast a power game that can overwhelm opponents.

After losing the semi-final, Swiatek talked about Keys’s “bravery” in going for big shots at big moments.

Fratangelo described Sabalenka on the eve of the final as “a little more of the polished version of Madison”.

“But what I’ve seen from her now is just what the greats do,” he said of Keys.

“They have the ability to raise the level when it matters most.”

And so it proved on Saturday as Keys clinched the 10th title of her career, and biggest, for an early 30th birthday present.

Keys did it the hard way, beating former Melbourne finalists Danielle Collins and Elena Rybakina on the way.

She then came from a set down and saved a match point against world number two Swiatek in the semi-finals.

Underdog Madison Keys upset Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the Australian Open final on Saturday to win her first Grand Slam crown at the age of 29. The American Keys ended world number one Sabalenka’s dream of becoming the first woman for 26 years to win a third successive Melbourne Park singles crown. Keys yelled in delight and wiped away tears on securing the title after withstanding a fierce fightback from the Belarusian two-time defending champion. Sabalenka, the 2023 and 2024 champion, buried her head in a towel after her 20-match win streak at Melbourne Park was ended.

For 19th-seeded Keys it was the culmination of a 15-year journey from teenage prodigy to major winner.

The American had been tipped as a future world number one after winning her maiden WTA Tour match at the age of 14.

She made her first major semi-final at Melbourne Park 10 years ago as a 19-year-old but a decade on she can finally call herself a Grand Slam champion.

Keys becomes the fourth oldest first-time winner of a major since the Open Era began in 1968.

It was Keys who came out of the blocks in controlled fashion in just her second Grand Slam final.

Keys was playing with her left thigh strapped but was not hampered as she played exemplary tennis to put Sabalenka under pressure.

With the help of two Sabalenka double faults, Keys secured an immediate break.

Sabalenka could not make any inroads on Keys, who landed 86 percent of her first serves in the set.

A third double fault helped Keys unlock a further break and race into a 5-1 lead.

Sabalenka saved set point and then clawed back one of the breaks. But her error count was rising and Keys, who smacked 11 winners to four, secured the first set in 35 minutes.

Sabalenka, renowned for her guts and determination, had similarly lost the first set in the 2023 final against Elena Rybakina before going on to win.

Perhaps more significantly, Sabalenka had lost the first set 6-0 to Keys in the 2023 US Open semi-final before fighting back to reach the final.

That result may have been preying on both players’ minds as the Belarusian began to flip the script in the second set, breaking in the third game and moving ahead 3-1.

Another break followed on a brilliant Sabalenka cross-court pass and she levelled the match after an hour and 20 minutes on court.

Sabalenka by now was timing the ball much better and a younger Keys might have buckled.

But this mature version of Keys, who battled all the way to beat Iga Swiatek in a 10-point final set tiebreak in the semi-finals, is made of sterner stuff.

She held from 0-30 in the third game to keep it on serve as the final set became a big-hitting baseline war with no holding back from either player.

It stayed that way until 5-6 when Sabalenka served to take it to a final set tiebreak.

Keys brought up two match points and secured the title on the second with her 29th winner after 2hr 2min.

AO 2025, Women’s Singles Final LIVE, Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys© AFP

Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys Live Streaming Australia Open Women’s Singles Final: The irresistible force of Aryna Sabalenka meets the unbreakable spirit of Madison Keys in an Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday. The defending champion from Belarus dished out a straight set win over good friend Paula Badosa in the semi-finals and will remain world number one after Iga Swiatek’s defeat while Keys is guaranteed to be back in the top 10 for the first time since 2019 in the new rankings. Both players are in rampant form and on 11-match win streaks after winning their respective warm-up events. Sabalenka, on the other hand, has won 20 straight matches on the famous blue hard courts of Melbourne. If she makes it 21 it will see her complete a treble not witnessed this century.

When will the Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match take place?

The Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025.

Where will the Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match be held?

The Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match will be held at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

What time will the Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match start?

The Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match will start at 2:00 PM (IST).

Which TV channels will show the live telecast of the Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match?

The Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match will telecasted live on the Sony Sports network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match?

The Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys, Australian Open women’s singles final match will be live streamed on the SonyLiv and JioTV App and Website.

(All details are as per information provided by the broadcaster)

The irresistible force of Aryna Sabalenka meets the unbreakable spirit of Madison Keys in an Australian Open women’s singles final on Saturday that promises to be a thunderous slugfest. Defending champion Sabalenka was hailed by beaten semi-finalist Paula Badosa as being so good it was “like she’s playing a PlayStation” after dishing out a merciless straight-sets bludgeoning to her good friend. The never-say-die American Keys, who will turn 30 next month, saved eight break points and a match point in a nerve-shredding final set against Iga Swiatek that went all the way to a 10-point tiebreak.

“Definitely some big-hitting. I think that is going to happen,” the powerful 19th seed Keys predicted of the final. “Not a lot of long points.”

Keys and Sabalenka have met five times previously, with the Belarusian winning four of them, most recently on the Beijing hard courts last year.

Keys’s sole win came on grass in Berlin in 2021.

“She’s playing incredible tennis,” said Sabalenka.

“She’s a very aggressive player, serving well, moving well. She’s in a great shape.

“It’s going to be a great battle. We had a lot of great battles in the past.”

Sabalenka will remain world number one after Swiatek’s defeat while Keys is guaranteed to be back in the top 10 for the first time since 2019 in the new rankings.

Both players are in rampant form and on 11-match win streaks after winning their respective warm-up events.

Melbourne queen

Sabalenka, the modern day queen of Melbourne Park, has won 20 straight matches on the famous blue hard courts.

If she makes it 21 it will see her complete a treble not witnessed this century.

The last person to achieve the three-peat in Melbourne was Martina Hingis in 1999 and only four other women have done it — Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

Three in a row is a rare achievement at any Slam and has only been done this century on three occasions.

At Roland Garros Justine Henin completed the treble in 2007 and Iga Swiatek emulated it last year.

Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles but only managed a hat-trick once, at the US Open from 2012-14.

Sabalenka will be in her fifth Slam final, Keys in only her second, having lost the 2017 US Open final 6-3, 6-0 to Sloane Stephens.

“I’ve obviously thought of that match endlessly for the past eight years,” said Keys, who broke down in tears after beating Swiatek in a seesawing contest that lasted 2hr 35min.

“I was so consumed with being nervous and the moment that I never really gave myself a chance to actually play.

“You can also play tennis through that, I think is something that I’ve been working really hard on.

“That’s one of the biggest lessons that I can take from that US Open final.”

Madison Keys fought back from a set down on Thursday to shock Iga Swiatek in a nail-biter and set up an Australian Open final against two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. The 19th seed battled through a thrilling semi-final on a final-set tiebreak against the world number two 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (10/8) after Sabalenka swept aside Paula Badosa in straight sets. Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek had not dropped her serve since the first round but was broken eight times by Keys, who saved a match point on her way to edging a titanic battle.

It will be the American’s first final in Melbourne, only her second in Slams, and she broke down in tears after finally getting over the line in 2hr 35min.

It was the first time an Australian Open semi-final had been decided by a third-set 10-point tiebreak.

“That match was just such a high level and she played so well,” Keys, 29, said.

“I felt like I was just fighting to stay in it and then obviously really kind of ran with the second and then the third was just a battle. 

“To be able to be standing here and be in the finals is absolutely amazing and I’m so excited that I get to be here on Saturday.”

Keys, the US Open runner-up in 2017, confessed she couldn’t recall much detail about the final set where she saved a match point.

“In the third set, it was just so up and down. I feel like I blacked out at some point,” Keys smiled.

“Just to be able to stay in it and just keep fighting and then a 10-point tiebreaker for a dramatic finish.”

Earlier, Sabalenka put her close friendship with Badosa aside to stay on track for a 26-year first.

The Belarusian world number one romped home 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena against the 11th seed.

Keys predicted a slug-fest between two of the hardest ball-strikers in the women’s game in Saturday’s showpiece.

“Definitely some big hitting. I think that is going to happen,” Keys said.

“Not a lot of long points but she is obviously going for her third Aussie Open and I’m excited to get to play here.”

Keys and Sabalenka have met five times previously, with the powerful Belarusian winning four of them.

Most recently they faced off in Beijing in October in the last 16 with Sabalenka winning 6-4, 6-3. 

‘So proud’

Sabalenka is closing on a third consecutive Melbourne crown — something that hasn’t happened this century. 

The last person to achieve the feat was Martina Hingis in 1999 and only four other women have completed the three-peat — Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

Court was in the stadium watching.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m so proud of myself. I’m proud of my team that we’re able to put ourselves in such a situation,” Sabalenka, also the reigning US Open champion, said.

“It’s a privilege. If I’m able to put my name into history, it will mean a lot. It will mean the world to me.” 

Sabalenka last year described Spain’s Badosa as her “soulmate” and said she was “super happy” that they got to play each other on such a big stage.

“I hope she’s still my friend. I’m sure she’ll hate me for the next hour, day or two, but I’m okay with that, I can handle that,” she said after her semi-final rout.

Despite losing, Badosa’s run to the last four capped a remarkable comeback for the Spaniard after a brutal back injury had her considering quitting tennis a year ago.

Her Melbourne exploits will return her to the top 10 for the first time since October 2022. Keys will also return to the top 10. 

Badosa said Sabalenka was in unstoppable form.

“Sometimes you’re like, I don’t know, I’m just walking around the court because I feel like she’s playing a PlayStation,” she said.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka put her close friendship with Paula Badosa aside Thursday to sweep past the Spaniard into a third successive Australian Open final. The Belarusian world number one came home 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena and will meet either Polish second seed Iga Swiatek or American 19th seed Madison Keys in Saturday’s decider. The hard, fast courts of Melbourne Park have been the 26-year-old’s happy place. She has now won 20 straight matches at the Australian Open to close in on a third consecutive crown — something that hasn’t happened this century. 

The last person to achieve the feat was Martina Hingis in 1999 and only four other women have completed the three-peat — Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

“Super tough match against a friend,” she said. “Super happy to be through.”

Sabalenka last year described Badosa as her “best friend” and “soulmate”, but it was all business on a cool Melbourne evening.

The 11th seed Badosa stunned world number three Coco Gauff in straight sets to reach her maiden Slam semi-final at the age of 27 and came out swinging.

She gifted Sabalenka a break point in the opening game on a double fault, but then nailed some big winners to save and hang on.

It was then the Belarusian’s turn to offer two break points to the Spaniard with some sloppy power shots and Badosa capitalised to open a 2-0 lead when a forehand sprayed wide.

But the top seed found her radar and rallied from 0-40 down on Badosa’s next serve to break back as her opponent’s error-count mounted.

She then won three in a row to surge 4-2 clear as Badosa fluffed some vital shots.

With rain arriving the roof was closed, but it didn’t halt the Sabalenka juggernaut, wrapping up the set in 53 minutes with an ace, slapping 19 winners to Badosa’s six.

Badosa tumbled to the floor early in set two as she reached for a shot, before giving the thumbs up, with the action briefly delayed as both players burst out laughing. 

But Sabalenka quickly composed herself and broke for a 2-1 lead when Badosa sent down consecutive double faults, then broke again with the Spaniard having no answer to her bruising baseline game.

The win kept alive Sabalenka’s quest to still be world number one when she leaves Melbourne.

If she had lost, Swiatek would have taken it back. Should the pair meet in the final, the winner will depart the tournament with the top ranking.

Despite losing Badosa’s run to the last four capped a remarkable comeback.

A former world number two, she spent several months out after a brutal back injury in 2023 and last year considered quitting.

Instead, her Melbourne exploits will return her to the top 10 for the first time since October 2022.

A vintage Novak Djokovic tamed Carlos Alcaraz in a late-night blockbuster to set up an Australian Open semi-final with Alexander Zverev as two-time women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka fought on. The 37-year-old Djokovic rolled back the years at the scene of his greatest achievements on Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 triumph sealed close to 1:00 am. The Serb surged into the semi-finals and a date with world number two Zverev to edge closer to an 11th Melbourne crown and all-time record 25th Slam title.

With former rival Andy Murray now in his coaching corner, Djokovic was at his imperious and defiant best, cupping his ear to the crowd after winning big points.

Djokovic was at the centre of a row on Monday after he demanded an apology — and got one — from a local TV presenter for what he called “insulting and offensive comments”.

Spain’s world number three Alcaraz will have to wait another year to get a kangaroo tattoo. He had vowed to get one if he won the Australian Open for the first time.

The 21-year-old four-time major champion has still never been beyond the Melbourne Park last eight.

Former number one Djokovic extended his career advantage over Alcaraz to 5-3, having also beaten him in the Paris Olympics final in their last meeting.

Alcaraz got the better of his rival in the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon finals.

In hot and windy conditions, Germany’s Zverev defeated the American Tommy Paul 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/0), 2-6, 6-1 to step up his quest to win a Grand Slam for the first time.

The 27-year-old lost his cool at one point — because of a feather.

The umpire called for a replay when the feather drifted in front of him as he played a shot at a critical juncture.

“C’mon, that is unbelievable on break point,” he shouted, before taking out his fury on Paul by breaking to love.

World number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner plays home hope Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals on Thursday, the winner facing American 21st seed Ben Shelton or the unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

Sabalenka will face Paula Badosa in the last four as the Belarusian bids to win the Australian Open for a third time in a row, something last achieved 26 years ago by Martina Hingis.

The world number one kept that dream alive but had to battle for it in beating Russian 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in the wind.

“Honestly I was just praying, trying to put the ball back in these tough conditions,” said Sabalenka.

“I’m just super happy I was able to somehow magically win this match.”

At 33, Pavlyuchenkova had been enjoying a late-career renaissance and was the oldest remaining woman in the draw.

Sabalenka next plays Badosa, the Spanish 11th seed who stunned world number three Coco Gauff 7-5, 6-4.

Badosa is into her first Slam semi-final at the age of 27.

“I’m a bit emotional,” said Badosa. “I’m a very emotional person. I wanted to play my best game. I think I did it.” 

It capped a remarkable comeback for the Spaniard, who was ranked outside the top 100 a year ago after a stress fracture in her back.

“I mean, a year ago, I was here with my back and I didn’t know if I had to retire from this sport, and now I’m here playing against the best in the world,” said Badosa.

Third-seeded American Gauff, 20, described herself as “disappointed but not completely crushed” after her first defeat of 2025.

On Wednesday, Iga Swiatek will look to continue her march to a first Australian Open title when she faces Emma Navarro.

The winner plays Madison Keys or Elina Svitolina in the last four.