Madison Keys Stuns Sixth Seed Elena Rybakina to Reach Australian Open Quarter-Finals

Tennis Jan 20, 2025 0 173 Add to Reading List

By Wallace-Ejoh Ovie Kwame

20th January 2025

American 19th seed Madison Keys secured a hard-fought victory over sixth seed Elena Rybakina, winning 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on Margaret Court Arena to advance to the Australian Open quarter-finals. The win marks Keys’ ninth consecutive victory.

Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, struggled with a back injury that first surfaced during her third-round match against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska. Despite rallying to dominate the second set, the 25-year-old Kazakh was ultimately unable to match the aggressive play of the 29-year-old Keys.

"Her serve is such a weapon, so I knew I had to make some of her service games competitive to give myself a chance," said Keys. "I just focused on getting as many balls back over the net as possible, which worked at times."

Rybakina, who reached the final in Melbourne last year, had defeated Keys in their two previous encounters. However, Keys neutralized her powerful serve in the opening set and maintained control in the rallies.

Although Rybakina fought back with four consecutive games to claim the second set, Keys ultimately triumphed in the decider. A searing cross-court winner on her second match point sealed the American’s place in the last eight.

Keys will face Ukraine's 28th seed Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals. Svitolina defeated Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-1, rallying from a slow start to reach her 12th Grand Slam quarter-final.

After the match, Svitolina dedicated her victory to Ukraine, stating, "This fighting spirit I have is completely Ukrainian. I feel a responsibility to bring a little light and hope for the people of my country. Fighting is the least I can do."