Sabalenka “hungry” but not “desperate” against Keys following Australian Open loss

Aryna Sabalenka was hoping to get revenge for her loss to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final when they faced each other again on Friday in Indian Wells. Much to her delight, Sabalenka got it.

Aryna Sabalenka AO 2025 R3 © Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP/SIPA

Aryna Sabalenka wanted to win her BNP Paribas Open semi-final match against Madison Keys, and wanted it badly — but not so badly that she couldn’t keep her head on straight.

Sabalenka could not have been more focused or more clinical as she crushed Keys 6-0, 6-1 in a mere 51 minutes on Friday night.

With that, the world No 1 gained at least some measure of revenge for her loss to Keys in the Australian Open final less than two months ago. Sabalenka had been the two-time defending champion at Melbourne Park, but she fell to Keys 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in perhaps the most dramatic match on the WTA Tour so far in 2025.

If I would lose again, it would get in my head. and i didn’t want that to happen.


Sabalenka made sure there was no such drama in the Indian Wells rematch.

“I needed this revenge badly, so I was really focused,” the Belarusian said during her post-match press conference. “And I think tactically I played really great tennis. I would say that today was a bit opposite (from Melbourne). Like I played great at the beginning, and she kind of lost her rhythm and she couldn’t play her best tennis. I think that’s why the match went so fast. So at the [Australian Open], I played really bad and she played great. It’s just, like, tennis. Let’s just call it tennis.”

Let’s also call it a disaster avoided. Because — by her own admission — if Sabalenka had lost again, it would have been tough for her to handle.

“It’s not like I was really desperate,” she explained. “I was more…I don’t know how to call it. I was hungry and, as I said before, that Australian Open match [made me] really heartbroken. 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.”

Sabalenka will now face Mirra Andreeva for the Indian Wells title on Sunday.

People in this post

Your comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *