Madison Keys is currently one of the biggest names in women’s tennis, but her successful title run at the Australian Open has come at a cost.
The American lifted her maiden Grand Slam trophy after defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final at Melbourne Park.
Keys was already assured of returning to the top 10 in the WTA Rankings before the showpiece match, but her title success has seen her surge up to No 7 as she equalled her career-best ranking.
But the 29-year-old has paid a price for that ranking jump – although we are sure she won’t mind one bit – as she will no longer be able to compete at the ATX Open due to the WTA’s top 10 rule for WTA 250 events.
Regulations state that only one top-10 player can feature at a 250 tournament “to ensure balanced competition across all WTA events held during the same week”.
Keys had signed for the tournament in Austin, Texas, several months ago and she was still ranked outside the top 20 at the time while current world No 6 Jessica Pegula was the only top-10 player in the field.
And with Keys now sitting at No 7, it gave organisers a headache as they had more than one top-10 player committed to the event.
In a statement, the ATX Open stated: “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.”
Tournament Director Christo van Rensburg added: “We love Madison and have been anticipating for months the excitement of her playing here in Austin for the first time.
“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. We remain very excited to welcome Jessica to her first-ever ATX Open next month. She’s eager to compete in Austin.”
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The Merida Open is the only other WTA event taking place at the same time as the ATX Open – 24 February to 2 March – and it is highly unlikely that Keys will feature at the Mexican WTA 500 tournament.
Instead, she will probably take a break ahead of the Sunshine Swing with the Indian Wells Open getting underway in the first week of March.
