March 15, 2025
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ended No. 5 Madison Keys’ 16-match win streak with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals. In a rematch of January’s Australian Open final, Sabalenka rolled in the 51-minute match to hand Keys her first loss since Auckland.
“That Australian Open match was really heartbreaking for me,” Sabalenka said, “and I really needed some time to recover after that. And if I would lose today again, it would get in my head and I didn’t want that to happen.
“I was really focused, so I was just really hungry to get this win against Madison.”
With the victory, Aryna Sabalenka (2023, 2025) has become the 4th player to reach both the Australian Open and Indian Wells finals in multiple seasons along with Seles (1991-92), Hingis (1998, 2000, 2002) & Davenport (2000, 2005).
Sabalenka’s victory puts her into her second Indian Wells final after finishing runner-up to Elena Rybakina in 2023. She will face 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva on Sunday after the No. 9 seed advanced to her second consecutive WTA 1000 final by toppling defending champion Iga Swiatek in three sets.
Indian Wells is Sabalenka’s third Hologic WTA Tour final of the season, after winning her 18th career title at Brisbane and finishing runner-up in Melbourne. It is also her 10th final since the start of 2024, the most of any player over that span.
© Copyrights Sixsports. All Rights Reserved.