That bit of hardware then was placed near the net for the pre-match coin toss, close as can be to where the American stood.
Close enough to touch. Close enough to feel real. Also right there was her opponent, No. Open, an experience that taught her she would need to be able to play through nerves. Sure did. She is the oldest woman to become a first-time Slam champ since Flavia Pennetta was 33 at the U.
Before this three-set victory came one against No. When it ended, Keys covered her face with her hands, then raised her arms. Soon, she was hugging her husband, Bjorn Fratangelo — who has been her coach since — and other members of her team, before sitting on her sideline bench and laughing. Sabalenka chucked her racket, covered her head with a white towel and briefly left the court, before returning for the post-match ceremony.
Keys had a lot to do with the way things were going. She compiled an edge in winners in the opening set, managing to out-hit the big-hitting Sabalenka repeatedly. Also important was the way Keys, whose left thigh was taped for the match, covered every part of the court, racing to get to balls and send them back over the net with intent. On one terrific defensive sequence, she sprinted for a forehand that drew a forehand into the net from Sabalenka, capping a break for a lead.
Never one to hide her emotions, Sabalenka kicked a ball after netting a volley and dropped her racket after missing an overhead. Sabalenka raised her winner total to 13 in the second set and began accumulating, and converting, break points. When she sent a backhand down the line to force an error by Keys for a break and a lead in the second, Sabalenka shook her left fist and gritted her teeth. The action in the third set was tight and tense, without so much as a single break point until its final game, when Keys came through with one last forehand winner.
