US tennis shines: Madison Keys becomes third American champion of the 2020s – surpassing last decade

Madison Keys became the third American player to win a Grand Slam title this decade, joining Sofia Kenin at the 2020 Australian Open and Coco Gauff at the 2023 US Open. This achievement stands out, considering there are already more champions this decade than in the entire previous one, and we're only halfway through the 2020s.

So far, there have been 11 female Grand Slam champions across 20 tournaments since the start of 2020, noting that Wimbledon 2020 was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. The leaders in this period are Iga Swiatek (5 titles) and Aryna Sabalenka (3).

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In the 2010s, there were only two American champions among the 19 women who claimed a major title. Serena Williams dominated the decade with 12 major trophies, and the only other American to join her was Sloane Stephens, who won the 2017 US Open by defeating her friend Madison Keys.

In the 2000s, among 12 champions throughout the decade, Americans collectively won 21 titles between four players: 10 by Serena Williams, 7 by Venus Williams, 3 by Jennifer Capriati, and 1 by Lindsay Davenport.

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Keys joined 13 other American female players who have won at least one Grand Slam tournament since the start of the Open Era, further extending the U.S.’s lead as the country with the most female Grand Slam champions in the last 50 years. The second spot goes to Australia, with 6 players.

Led by legends like Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert, the USA boasts 81 Grand Slam titles, far ahead of Germany, which holds 25 (22 of them from Steffi Graf and 3 from Angie Kerber).

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