BNP Paribas Open: Aryna Sabalenka cruises into Indian Wells final with dominating win

Aryna Sabalenka got her revenge.

The tennis star from Belarus lost to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January. It gave the American her first Grand Slam title and she entered Indian Wells last week having not lost a match all year.

But Friday, on Stadium Court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Sabalenka showed why she’s the No. 1 player in the world in a dominating 6-0, 6-1 win over Keys in just 51 minutes in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

“I didn’t expect this match to be that fast to be honest, but I’m super happy with the way I played today and to get much-needed revenge against Madison who is having such a great year and will have so many more wins,” Sabalenka told the crowd after the match.

Sabalanka will now face teenage rising star Mirra Andreeva on Sunday in the Indian Wells final in a match she jokingly called “kind of like an old mama playing against a kid.” For the record Sabalenka is 26 to Andreeva’s 17.

With fifth-ranked Keys out of the draw, it extends the streak of an American woman not winning this American tournament since Serena Williams last did it in 2001.

Keys was 18-1 to start the 2025 season and was riding a 16-match win streak. She was 5-0 against top 10 players this season, prior to Friday.

Andrew John covers the BNP Paribas Open for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Aryna Sabalenka into Indian Wells final with swift win over Madison Keys