World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the semifinals of the Brisbane International after defeating world No. 5 Madison Keys 6–3, 6–3 in straight sets. This match was a rematch of the 2025 Australian Open final.
With this victory, Sabalenka has secured eight consecutive wins in Brisbane and has an impressive record of 36 wins in her last 38 matches in Australia.
The match marked Sabalenka’s second encounter with Keys since her defeat to the American in the Australian Open final. Earlier, she had dominated their match at Indian Wells with a 6–1, 6–0 victory. Sabalenka now leads their head-to-head record 6–2 since they first met in 2018.
The opening set was closely contested, but Keys struggled with her precision, committing seven double faults. She wavered between playing it safe and being aggressive on her second serve, allowing Sabalenka to apply relentless pressure.
In the second set, a series of breaks ensued with Keys losing serve five times in a row. After taking a 4–2 lead, Sabalenka took full control, sealing the match with three powerful serves.
“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 stated.
A two-time Brisbane International champion in 2023 and 2025, Sabalenka aims for a third title in four appearances, having finished runner-up in 2024. She will face world No. 20 Karolina Muchova of Czechia on Saturday.
Muchova currently leads the head-to-head 3-1 against Sabalenka, having won all three of their recent meetings since 2023. Sabalenka’s only victory came in their initial 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 recently upset No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina with a thrilling win at Pat Rafter Arena, needing just over two hours to secure a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory.