MELBOURNE ¨C A jittery Madison Keys said Tuesday she was ¡°too timid¡± after getting the defense of her Australian Open crown off to a stuttering start, losing the first four games before rallying to stay in the title hunt.
The American ninth seed was a bundle of nerves on the Rod Laver Arena court, but calmed down to clinch a 7-6 (6), 6-1 win over Ukraine¡¯s Oleksandra Oliynykova.
Keys stunned Aryna Sabalenka 12 months ago in a three-set epic to win her first major crown at the age of 29, but she failed to push on in 2025, winning no more titles.
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