MELBOURNE -- Whether in victory or defeat, Aryna Sabalenka isn't one to hide her emotions. On Saturday at the Australian Open, the two-time defending champion narrowly came up short in her quest for a rare Grand Slam three-peat. Instead, it was 19th-seeded Madison Keys who handed No.1 Sabalenka her first loss of the season, winning 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 in the final. 

"There definitely was a bit of frustration because I was so close to achieve something crazy," Sabalenka told reporters after the loss. "When you're out there, you're fighting, but it seems like everything is going not the way you really want it to go.

"It's OK. I mean, I'm the one who knows that after tough losses, there is good wins. So I'll keep working and make sure that next time, if I'll be in this situation, I'll play definitely better."

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After embracing Keys at the net and offering her heartfelt congratulations to the newest Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka let out her frustrations on her racquet, smashing her stick near her chair.

"I just needed that time for myself to switch off and forget and leave it and be respectful," she said. "Just wanted to be respectful. I just needed to throw those stuff out and needed some time with myself. 

"That's definitely really tough. I was standing there and just was like, 'OK, c'mon, you've been in her position. She deserves that. She was the better player than you.'"

Keys was better but not by much. Both women struck 29 winners over the 2-hour and 2-minute duel. Sabalenka hit 33 unforced errors, just two more than Keys. In the end, Sabalenka won 91 points. 

Keys, who saved match point to beat No.2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, won 92. The American became the first player since Maria Sharapova in 2006 to defeat the World No.1 and No.2 in the semifinals and final of a Grand Slam. From what Sabalenka saw, if Keys can hold her level, she'll be in the Top 5 in no time.  

"If she can play consistently like that, it's not much you can do," Sabalenka said. "I know how to play against her, but in this match I couldn't really do my stuff.

"She just played incredible. It seems like she was overhitting everything. The depths of the balls were really crazy. I was trying my best. Obviously didn't work well."

Sabalenka shrugged off any implication that she succumbed to the pressure of her three-peat bid. After all, she explained, as the World No.1 she plays with pressure every time she steps on the court. But being the world's best does exacerbate the sting.

"I think when you get to the point of finals, it's trophy or nothing," Sabalenka said. "Nobody remembers the finalist, you know? Nobody puts next to the winner the finalist's name. At this point, I go for titles. 

"But, of course, I have to be anyway proud of myself with the finals, three finals in the row. That's something crazy. I hope that next year I'll come back as a better player, and I'll hold Daphne one more time."