“Crazy matches ahead”: Aryna Sabalenka relishes Indian Wells showdown
WTA
Aryna Sabalenka analysed the Indian Wells semifinals after securing her spot among the last four. The World No. 1 played the final quarterfinal match on Thursday night, defeating 24th seed Liudmila Samsonova with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory.
The Belarusian has dropped only eight games in her last three matches and is now preparing to face local favourite and World No. 5 Madison Keys — a chance for revenge after their Australian Open final less than two months ago, where the American claimed her first Grand Slam title, ending Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak in Melbourne.
This week in Indian Wells, at least until the semifinals, there haven’t been many surprises. Sabalenka and Keys advanced from the top half, while Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva emerged from the bottom half. Though some favourites fell along the way — like Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff — the four semifinalists have been the top performers of 2025 so far, as reflected in the WTA Race, where they occupy the top four spots, with a clear gap from the rest of the pack.
Sabalenka herself spoke in her on-court interview about the “beautiful semis” set to take place on Friday night, where she’ll face the challenge of taking on the last American left in the draw. For Sabalenka, it’s an extra motivation to avenge what happened in Australia, where she fell 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
“What a beautiful semis, hopefully I’m gonna do better than I did in the Australian Open,” she said about her duel with Keys. “I’ll see you, and I hope I’ll get a little bit of support — like, not all the way to Madison, okay? Please!”
She also shared her thoughts on the other semifinal between Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva. The Pole and the Russian will face off in the evening’s first match, meaning Sabalenka and Keys will know their potential opponent before taking the court.
The three-time Grand Slam champion praised Andreeva’s remarkable achievements at such a young age and anticipated an exciting showdown against World No. 2 Swiatek: “And on the other side of the draw, a 17-year-old — it’s just incredible what she’s capable of at such a young age (Andreeva). And of course, Iga (Swiatek), incredible player. It seems like this court suits her well. Yeah, crazy matches ahead.”
2025 BNP Paribas Open (03-14)
Stadium 1
| Semifinal - Final | |
 Christian Harrison-Evan King |
3 4 |
 1Marcelo Arevalo- 1Mate Pavic |
6 6 |
| Semifinal - Final | |
 Fernando Romboli- John-Patrick Smith |
6 3 0 |
| Sebastian Korda-Jordan Thompson |
3 6 1 |
| Semifinal - 3/14 - 7:00 PM EDT | |
 2Iga Swiatek |
|
 9Mirra Andreeva |
|
| Semifinal - 3/14 - 9:00 PM EDT | |
| 5Madison Keys |
|
 1Aryna Sabalenka |
|
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