Aryna Sabalenka continued her fine start to the new tennis season with a routine win over Madison Keys.
It marked revenge for the last time they faced one another in Australia, where the American shockingly dethroned her in the Australian Open final.
Heading into that first Grand Slam of 2026, Sabalenka certainly seems to be establishing herself as the player to beat once again, emphasised by the manner of her latest 6-3, 6-3 victory.
And, speaking after the match, she offered her honest verdict on Keys after their XX meeting against one another.
Aryna Sabalenka delivers her verdict on Madison Keys
Chatting with reporters, the Belarusian was naturally asked about the potential impact last year’s Australian Open final still has on her.
However, having beaten Keys so convincingly yesterday, Sabalenka admitted: “I mean, of course you’re aware of the level of your opponent, but I never stay in the past. I know that I lost in Australia against her, and that’s the big motivation, of course, to go out and to get the win.
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“But I never, like, stay in the past, and never remember things from the previous meeting. I’m always looking to the match is a new match against a new player. That’s my approach.
“I know I have to be focused from the beginning to the end with her, because she’s an incredible fighter and she can come back any time. My approach is like it’s a new match, doesn’t matter what happened in the past, I have to go out there and play my best tennis.”
She concluded by also offering her thoughts on Karolina Muchova, who she will face in the semi-finals in Brisbane: “Well, I never focus on the past. Doesn’t matter if I’m the one who is leading head-to-head against the player or I’m the one who’s losing; I don’t care. I just try to bring my best tennis, and I’m trying to do better, do better this time, and I’ll be out there tomorrow competing, fighting. Hopefully I’ll be able to get the win.”
Sabalenka called out an ‘insane’ WTA rule after her last match in Brisbane too.
Aryna Sabalenka’s head-to-head record vs Madison Keys
As Sabalenka gears up to face Muchova, whom she has lost her last three matches to, it’s worth remembering how she has fared against Keys in the past, and therefore how important a victory this latest one is for her.
Ironically, their head-to-head record is heavily skewed in the 27-year-old’s favour, having won six of their eight meetings.
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Keys claimed her first win over Sabalenka back in 2021, but heading into last year’s Australian Open, she had lost their last three matches against one another.
And, since that dramatic showdown in Melbourne, the four-time Grand Slam champion has won their two subsequent matches, thrashing Keys 6-0, 6-1 in Indian Wells.
It will be interesting to see how Sabalenka deals with the mental struggles she might face should they meet again at the Australian Open later this month.
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