The World No 1 fell to a 3-6, 6-2, 5-7 defeat in Melbourne as an inspired Keys claimed her maiden Grand Slam title in the 2025 Australian Open lasting two hours and two minutes.
Sabalenka was aiming to win a third consecutive Australian Open title, but the loss ended her 20-match winning streak at Melbourne Park.
The 26-year-old Belarusian’s 20-match winning streak at hard-court Grand Slams was also broken after she won both the Australian Open and the US Open in 2024.
Sabalenka was also 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.
Keys has now become the first woman to defeat the world’s top two players at a major tournament since Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2009 French Open, and the first to do so at the Australian Open since Serena Williams in 2005.
She also 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.
After Keys converted her second championship point with a superb forehand winner, a devastated Sabalenka expressed her frustration towards her team.
Sabalenka embraced and congratulated Keys, before breaking her racket and throwing it against her chair. The three-time major winner then sat with a towel over her head before leaving the court.
