The Madison Keys achieved a breakthrough that had been waiting for an entire career last weekend, earning her first career grand slam at the Australian Open. Her Reward: A small tournament that is forced to cancel her entry.
Due to strange rules that hinder one or more of the top 10 players participating in the WTA 250 tournament, ATX Open announced on Tuesday that Key will no longer be eligible to participate in the event. The Austin-based tournament has already been promised sixth Jessica Pegra to play.
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Keys ranked 21st when they agreed to play ATX Open and 20th on the 20th, as on January 6th. However, she won both the WTA 500 Adelaide International and the Australian Open, giving her enough points to push her to the seventh in three weeks.
Tournament Director Christovan Rensberg lamented the rules while praised the key in a statement.
“Every year, the ATX Open strives to bring some of the world’s top female players to Austin to compete in the tournament, and this year is no exception. Madison’s success in Australia, where she played legendary tennis on the world stages, further proves that ATX attracts the best talent in the game.
“We hope that the top 10 rules will not be applied to the tournament, but we respect the WTA rules. Madison’s Grand Slam title and the subsequent Top 10 world rankings are both things to celebrate. We can’t wait to invite Madison again to the upcoming ATX.
The WTA, as ATX Open explains, “To ensure balanced competition at all WTA events held in the same week, we will book multiple top 10 players. There are no such rules for ATP, the male counterpart of the organization. There are at least some exceptions that allow the defending champion to return even if there is another top 10 player.
The Madison Keys won the 2025 Australia Open. (Photo: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated by Getty Images)
(Eric W. Lasco via Getty Images)
In fact, the setup is unpopular and 250 tournaments lack star power. It’s rare to find a sports league with rules Prevention Though they are the most popular players to attend the event, the WTA appears to be putting a balanced schedule that much.
Of course, this is all happy to pay for her success last week.
