Aryna Sabalenka gained some revenge on Madison Keys by winning their Indian Wells semi-final showdown.
The tennis world salivated over the possibility of the Australian Open finalists locking horns again after producing one of the finest matches of the year in Melbourne.
They did just that at Indian Wells, but the contest was the complete opposite of the three-set thriller from two months ago.
After her Australian Open heartbreak, Sabalenka was determined to defeat Madison Keys the next time they played, and she did so in emphatic fashion.
Aryna Sabalenka shares her gameplan for beating Madison Keys at Indian Wells
Madison Keys produced the two best matches of her career to defeat Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek back-to-back to claim the Australian Open title.
The World number one was denied the chance to become the first woman to win that particular Grand Slam three times in row since Martina Hingis in 1999.
She carried that frustration and despair into her match with Keys at Indian Wells, and dominated the contest from start to finish, winning 6-0, 6-1 in just 51 minutes.
Post-match, Sabalenka explained the determination she had to beat Keys and the tactics she used to help make that happen.
“I desperately needed this revenge, I was hungry to defeat Madison, and I played with great focus and a perfect tactical approach,” she said.
“I focused on not allowing her to find rhythm with her shots, I didn’t want her to hit the same ball twice and start dictating play.
“The match in Australia broke my heart, and I was aware that losing to her again could create a mental trauma that would greatly affect my upcoming tournaments.”
Aryna Sabalenka has a habit of breaking win streaks
Sabalenka became the first player to defeat Keys since January’s ASB Classic by thrashing the American at Indian Wells.
This ended the 30-year-old’s 16-match win streak, but Sabalenka has ended some other memorable win streaks in recent memory.
In 2022, Sabalenka defeated former World number two Anett Kontaveit to bring her 22-match winning streak on indoor courts to an end.
The following year, the 27-year-old became the World number one for the first time, which ended Swiatek’s run of 75 straight weeks at the top of the WTA Tour rankings.
In 2024, Danielle Collins was in the form of her life as she won the Miami and Charleston Open events. She won 15 successive matches until Sabalenka came from behind to win their Madrid Open contest to end her run.
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