Sabalenka dominates Keys, faces Andreeva in Indian Wells final

Aryna Sabalenka stormed into the Indian Wells final with a commanding 6-0, 6-1 victory over Madison Keys on Friday, avenging her Australian Open defeat to the American. The Belarusian will now face 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who stunned defending champion Iga Swiatek in a three-set thriller.

Sabalenka, who had been vocal about her desire for revenge after Keys ended her bid for a third straight Australian Open title in January, left no doubt in their rematch.

“I was hungry,” Sabalenka said. “That Australian Open match was really heartbroken for me, 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.”

Sabalenka dominated from the outset, winning the first 11 games before Keys finally held serve. The American, riding a 16-match winning streak, struggled to find any rhythm against the second seed.

Meanwhile, Andreeva continued her remarkable rise with a 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-3 victory over world No. 2 Swiatek. The Russian teenager, who also defeated Swiatek last month in Dubai, showed maturity beyond her years.

“I felt like I’m gonna go and play the tiebreak like it’s the last tiebreak of my life,” Andreeva said. “So I just went for all my shots.”

Sabalenka acknowledged the challenge ahead, joking that the final would be “kind of like an old mama playing against a kid.”

(Source: AFP)