Madison Keys waited years for a moment like this. Last weekend, she finally won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, defeating World No. 1 and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final. At 29, she became the oldest woman to win her maiden major. But success sometimes comes with unexpected consequences. Despite her career-defining win, Keys has now found herself on the wrong side of a bizarre WTA rule. Let’s find out what happened.

The ATX Open in Austin, Texas announced on Tuesday that Keys was no longer eligible to compete at the tournament. A WTA rule prevents more than one top-10 player from entering a WTA 250 event, and since World No. 6 Jessica Pegula had already committed to playing, there was no room for Keys. When she originally signed up, this wasn’t a problem—she was ranked No. 21 at the time and still sat at No. 20 as recently as January 6. But after winning both the WTA 500 Adelaide International and the Australian Open, her ranking jumped to No. 7, making her ineligible under the WTA’s guidelines.

The only exception allows defending champions to return, but since the 29-year-old tennis star wasn’t last year’s winner, she didn’t qualify. That meant a tournament that had promoted her for months had no choice but to remove her from the lineup.

This shake-up also affects her schedule. Keys was already set to play two upcoming WTA 1000 events in the Middle East—the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on February 9 and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on February 16. However, she has since withdrawn from Doha due to a hamstring injury, though she remains on the entry list for Dubai. With the ATX Open which begins on 27th February no longer an option, her road ahead looks different than planned.

This has caused displeasure among the fans, especially ones who bought the ticket in hopes of seeing the American tennis star.

Fans react to Madison Key’s being kicked out of ATX Open

Disappointed reactions poured in on X with one fan posting, “WTA rules are so so stupid. Madison Keys can no longer participate in the ATX Open because she reached the Top 10 and they’re only allowed to have one top player (Pegula) Sucks so bad for fans in Austin.”

Madison Keys kicked off her 2025 season with a gritty 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over fellow American Jessica Pegula at the Adelaide International. Fans were hoping for a rematch at the ATX Open, but that won’t be happening.

Since winning the Australian Open, the American tennis player has climbed the rankings and is now ineligible for the Austin tournament. The WTA rule in question limits top-10 players in WTA 250 events to maintain “balanced competition.” But for fans, it feels more like a missed opportunity.

One fan wrote, “Have tickets for the final and was hoping to see a Keys-Pegula matchup just to get this email smh.”

Another fan also expressed a similar sentiment and wrote, “Oh, so kick out an American and a recent Grand Slam champ. I hope everyone returns their tickets or doesn’t show up!”

The restriction itself raised eyebrows, especially since the ATP, the governing body for men’s tennis does not have such a rule.

One fan didn’t hold back, saying, “The WTA stays committed to not marketing the most popular women’s sport on the planet.”

The 29-year-old player’s rise back into the top 10 has been 15 years in the making. She spent most of the past three years hovering between No. 11 and No. 25, only briefly breaking into the top 10. But now, with her long-awaited Grand Slam win, she’s right where she belongs among the sport’s elite.

Madison Keys won a Grand Slam and lost a tournament spot in the same month. Should the WTA rethink this rule?