Arina Sabalenka
Game, set, match on this racket…
After the heartbreaking loss breaks it into pieces
published
Arina Sabalenka Won’t win a third Australian Open in a row… And, while she usually wins break points, she reached her break point after a heartbreaking L — taking it out on her trusty racket.
This match pointβ
Madison Keys is the 2025 Australian Open Champion π pic.twitter.com/YcE5uEaXdy
β SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 25, 2025
@SportsCenter
The Belarusian tennis standout was playing American Madison Keys In the final … and, after struggling back from 1-0 down to force a tiebreaker, dropped two out of three, losing the third set 7-5.
After a hard-fought finale, Keys emerged victorious… walking over to Sabalenka for a hug — which the superstar did politely, if a little stoned.
While Keys celebrated his win by waving to the crowd, the real fireworks started near Sabalenka’s bench … where he repeatedly slammed his racket into the ground before putting it away.
Watch the clip for yourself … even the commentators are a little surprised.

Australian Open TV
Sablenka spoke to the press afterward about the blowout … admitting it was caused by a bit of frustration — stemming from how close she got to the three-peat.
This is Keys’ first Grand Slam win… He won the 2017 U.S. Just fell short of winning the Open — lost in the final Sloane Stephens. Sablenka β as we mentioned β has won two Australian Opens, and she also won the US Open last year.
It looked like she really wanted it, though … and couldn’t hide the disappointment.