Brisbane, Jan 9 (IANS) World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka moved into the semifinals of the Brisbane International after defeating world No. 5 Madison Keys 6–3 6–3 in straight sets in a rematch of the 2025 Australian Open final on Friday.
The victory also means Sabalenka has notched eight consecutive wins in Brisbane and 36 of her last 38 matches in Australia.
The match marked Sabalenka's second meeting with Keys since her loss to the American in the Australian Open final, following a dominant 6–1 6–0 victory at Indian Wells. She extends her head-to-head record to 6–2 since they first met in 2018.
The opening set was finely balanced, but it was Keys’ lack of precision that proved decisive. She conceded seven points through double faults, hesitating between safety and aggression on her second serve as Sabalenka pressed relentlessly.
The second set unfolded as a series of breaks, with Keys losing serve five games in a row. Sabalenka steadied herself at 4–2 and then took full control, sealing the victory with three serves to close out the match.
"She’s a great player. Always tough battles against her. I was trying to stay focused, trying to stay on my serve and put as much pressure as I can on her serve. That’s all I was thinking about. I put so much pressure back on her. She’s aggressive, and I tried to put all of that speed back on her," Sabalenka said.
A two-time Brisbane International champion in 2023 and 2025, Sabalenka will look to take another step toward a third title in four appearances, having finished runner-up in 2024 — when she faces world No. 20 Czechia’s Karolina Muchova on Saturday.
Muchova leads the head-to-head 3-1 over Sabalenka, having won each of their last three meetings dating back to 2023. Sabalenka’s lone victory in the series came in their first matchup in 2019.
"I always approach each match the same; it doesn’t matter the score between us. What’s in the past stays in the past. I will try to bring everything I’ve been working on throughout basically my whole career and try better every time," Sabalenka added.
Muchova has overcome chronic injury setbacks to emerge victorious against No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina in a thrilling upset at Pat Rafter Arena. She required just over two hours to secure the 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory.
--IANS
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