Madison Keys Now Too Good for Tournament She Entered

Australian Open champion Madison Keys has been dropped from an upcoming tournament in Austin.

It turns out, winning comes with unexpected costs.

Keys had committed to the 250-level ATX Open in Austin next month, which is happening the same week as the 500-level Merida Open in Mexico. According to WTA rules, a 250 tournament the same week as a 500 tournament is allowed to have only one top-10 player in its draw, plus the defending champion. (The Merida Open in Mexico was a WTA 250 last year, but became a 500 earlier this month after the San Diego Open collapsed.)

Keys had entered the tournament at No. 21 while No. 6 Jessica Pegula took the sole top-10 spot, but after the Australian Open, Keys jumped to No. 7 in the world rankings. No matter what happens in global tennis between now and then, Keys cannot fall out of the top 10.

“We love Madison and have been anticipating for months the excitement of her playing here in Austin for the first time,” ATX Open director Christo van Rensburg said in a statement. “While we wish the Top 10 rule didn’t apply to our tournament, we respect the rules of the WTA.

“That said, Madison’s Grand Slam title and subsequent Top 10 world ranking are both something to celebrate. We can’t wait to invite Madison again to future ATX Opens.”

The Australian Open marked the first Grand Slam title for Keys, who turns 30 in February. Ranked No. 19 in the tournament, she faced a gauntlet of a tournament, facing No. 10 Danielle Collins, No. 6 Elena Rybakina, No. 28 Elina Svitolina, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (rankings based on when Keys played them). She previously reached the US Open final in 2017.

“I think I’ve done a lot of work to no longer need this,” Keys said after the match. “I really wanted it, but it was no longer the thing that was going to define me, and kind of letting go of that burden, I finally gave myself the ability to actually play for it.”