So, the Australian Open rolled around again this year, 2024, and I decided I’d really keep an eye on Madison Keys. Always liked her game, you know? That raw power she has is just something else. I figured, why not properly follow her journey this time down under?
I started by checking the draw as soon as it came out. Saw her first few potential matches and thought, okay, she’s got a decent path if she plays her game. Got myself set up to watch her first match. She came out swinging, just like usual. Lots of big serves, massive forehands. Won it pretty comfortably, which was good to see. Felt like, alright, this could be a good run.
Then came the next few rounds. It wasn’t always easy street. There were some tough moments, some scrappy points she had to win. I remember watching one match, I think it was against Gauff maybe? No, wait, maybe someone else before the quarters? Doesn’t matter, the point is, she really had to dig deep. Lots of ups and downs. One minute she’d hit a blinding winner, next minute an easy ball goes long. Kinda frustrating to watch sometimes, if I’m being honest. You’re sitting there going “Come on, Madi!”.
Getting Deeper into the Tournament
As she kept winning, I got more invested. Started rearranging my schedule a bit to catch her matches live, even the ones at awkward times. You know how it is. Suddenly you care a lot about this person you’ve never met hitting a yellow ball. She made it to the quarters, then the semis. That felt big. She was playing some really solid tennis, seemed focused.
The semifinal match against Sabalenka, man, that was tough. Sabalenka was just on another level this tournament, let’s be real. Keys fought hard, she really did. She threw everything she had at her, landed some big punches. But Sabalenka just absorbed it and hit back harder. Watching that, you could see Keys trying, but it just wasn’t enough on the day. It’s hard seeing a player you’re rooting for run into a buzzsaw like that.
Final Thoughts
So, she didn’t make the final. A bit of a bummer, yeah. You always hope they’ll go all the way when they get that far. But looking back? Reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open is still a huge deal. She beat some good players to get there. Showed flashes of that brilliant game we know she has.
It was a good run to follow. Stressful at times, exciting at others. That’s sport, I guess. You ride the rollercoaster with them. Happy I decided to track her progress this year. It was definitely entertaining. We’ll just have to see what the rest of the season holds for her. Hopefully more deep runs like this one.
