The Madison Keys who will play two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the title at the Australian Open on Saturday night is not the same Madison Keys who was the runner-up at the U.S.

Madison Keys has learnt plenty since her last, and first, grand slam final – mainly to embrace the prospect of being “uncomfortable 99 per cent of the time”.

But that could well change on Saturday, when Keys will take on two-time defending Australian Open champion Sabalenka in her second slam final having produced a stunning upset of Iga Swiatek. She is confident she has learned from her US Open experience, saying with a smile: “I’ve obviously thought of that match endlessly for the past eight years.