Madison Keys defied the odds to win the Australian Open title (Image: Getty)
Madison Keys has been forced to pull out of next month’s ATX Open in Texas as a direct result of her winning the .
Keys sent a shiver down the spine of the tennis world when she toppled back-to-back champion in last week’s Melbourne showpiece.
It ended Keys’ long and at times arduous wait for a Slam title, with the American having battled adversity throughout her career to achieve such a goal.
Keys, who turns 30 next month, has had to overcome several mental and physical barriers in order to claim a maiden Slam title, and referenced regular therapy sessions as one of the reasons behind her success during the post-tournament press conference.
Keys bagged herself with Saturday’s victory, the 29-year-old jumped up seven places in the WTA rankings, going from 14th to seventh.
She’d moved up the rankings already in 2025, having tasted victory at the Adelaide International during the build-up to the .
While a welcome boost, the drastic rise has come with its own unwanted downside, as Keys will now have to miss the ATX Open – played in Austin – because WTA rules state only one top-10 player can feature in 250-level tournaments.
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Madison Keys won’t feature in the ATX Open because she won the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
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And because Jessica Pegula, who sits one spot above countrywoman Keys in the standings, has already committed to the event, the reigning champion won’t be allowed to compete.
In a statement, the ATX Open organisers said: “As a 250-level tournament, the ATX Open is permitted to feature just one Top 10 player unless the defending champion returns as a Top 10 ranked player. Only in that circumstance could two Top 10 players compete in our tournament. This helps to ensure balanced competition across all WTA events held during the same week.
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“With World No. 6 Jessica Pegula already committed to the event, WTA rules prevent us from having a second Top 10 player in the draw. When we entered an agreement with Madison, her ranking was World No. 21. Now with her title wins in both Adelaide and Melbourne, her ranking has moved to World No. 7. As a result of her new ranking, Madison will, unfortunately, not be able to compete in this year’s ATX Open.”
It’s a bitter blow for American fans who will have been keen to see their nation’s most recently crowned Slam winner in action.
This year marks the third edition of the ATX Open, with Marta Kostyuk having taken the inaugural title in 2023 and Yuan Yue the current defending champion.
The ATX Open runs from 22 February to 2 March in Austin, Texas.