Madison Keys Fights Back to Keep Australian Open Title Hopes Alive

Defending champion overcomes early nerves to defeat debutant Oleksandra Oliynykova in a tense first-round clash at Melbourne Park.

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Rajan Mhatre

Last Updated: 2026-01-21 06:49:46

Summary: Defending champion survives early scare, wins first-round match at 2026 Australian Open.

Madison Keys didn’t have it easy on Tuesday. Kicking off her title defence at the 2026 Australian Open, she stared down a real threat in the very first round and managed to claw her way through.

Keys, the ninth seed and playing her 50th Grand Slam, found herself up against Oleksandra Oliynykova, a Ukrainian newcomer, barely inside the top 100, making her main-draw Grand Slam debut. And Oliynykova didn’t waste time making her presence felt. She came out swinging, mixing in looping shots and oddball angles that threw Keys off her rhythm. Suddenly, Keys was down 0-4. Not exactly how you want to start as the reigning champ.

But Keys didn’t panic. She dug in, using her experience and heavy groundstrokes to reel Oliynykova back in. By 4-4, the match had turned tense, and the opening set wound up in a nerve-wracking tiebreak. Keys saved two set points, finally edging it out 7-6(8). From there, she relaxed and took control. The second set looked a lot more like the Keys fans know—clean hitting, smarter positioning, and a quick 6-1 finish.

Afterwards, Keys admitted she felt the nerves at the start. The pressure, plus Oliynykova’s unpredictable game, led to a string of mistakes. But with the crowd behind her and her own experience to lean on, she settled down and found her range.

“I’ve been thinking about this moment for basically a year,” Keys said courtside. “The crowd was awesome and that helped me stay focused.”

Now, she moves on to face fellow American Ashlyn Krueger in round two—a chance to settle in and build some momentum. Last year, Keys finally broke through to win her first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, a moment she’s called both a career highlight and a huge confidence boost.

This year’s opener was shaky, for sure. But fighting through it, against a gutsy opponent, might be just what she needs. The road only gets tougher from here, but maybe this hard-earned win lights a fire for Keys as she chases another deep run Down Under.