Aryna Sabalenka meant business against Madison Keys and got her revenge in one of the most impressive ways possible after demolishing the No. 5 seed 6-0 6-1 in just 51 minutes to reach the Indian Wells final.
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After the American her from completing a three-peat at the Australian Open, the Belarusian met the world No. 5 again a month and a half later.
But this time, it was all Sabalenka right from the start of the match until the end as the top seed stunningly won the opening 11 games of the match to go 6-0 5-0 lead. During that run, Keys only had game points in the fourth game of the first set and she also had a break point in the first game of the second set which she didn't convert.
On the verge of being double-bageled, the home favorite managed to serve out the sixth game of the second set and avoid a total disaster. After finally getting on the board, the American raised her hands to the sky and received loud cheers from the crowd.
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However, it didn't change much since Sabalenka routinely closed out the match in the following game. For her first Indian Wells title, the tournament's 2023 runner-up will battle against Mirra Andreeva, who beat Iga Swiatek in the first semifinal of the day.
Sabalenka told Keys she would be out there for revenge
When asked about playing in Indian Wells the same rival who handed her one of the most heartbreaking defeats of her career, the 26-year-old publicly stated that she would absolutely seek revenge.
"It's only coming to my mind as motivation to get back that revenge. It was a tough match. She played great there. I didn't play my best, and I'm really happy that tomorrow I will have opportunity to get this revenge back," the world No. 1 said before the match.
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Sabalenka made sure it wouldn't only stay on words and now she is win away from winning her second title of the year.
