But that could well change on Saturday, when Keys will take on two-time defending Australian Open champion Sabalenka in her second slam final having produced a stunning upset of Iga Swiatek. She is confident she has learned from her US Open experience, saying with a smile: “I’ve obviously thought of that match endlessly for the past eight years.

Veteran Madison Keys took down No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek in a thrilling three-set match (5-7, 6-1, 7-6(8)) in the Australian Open semifinal on Thursday to advance to just the second Grand Slam final of her career.

It has been over seven years since Madison Keys crushed CoCo Vandeweghe in the 2017 US Open semifinal. Sloane Stephens defeated her close friend in the final, and it seemed like Keys might never get another opportunity to play in a Grand Slam final after suffering some heartbreaking moments in the years that followed.