Aryna Sabalenka issues bold claim about the crowd favoring her instead of Madison Keys after brutally crushing the American at Indian Wells

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was at her ruthless best in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open 2025, dishing out a 6-0, 6-1 beatdown to Madison Keys in just 51 minutes. The latter was riding a 16-match winning streak, during which she also beat the Belarusian in the Australian Open final in a three-set thriller to win her maiden Major title.

Sabalenka was gunning to win her third consecutive title Down Under, so the loss was quite heartbreaking for her. The after effects were palpable as she went 1-2 during the Middle East swing. However, she seems to have rediscovered her groove once again in the California desert.

When Sabalenka was asked her thoughts on her performance during the post-match interview, she stated that she did not expect their Indian Wells showdown to unfold the way it did. She was pleasantly surprised by her own level and was glad to have avenged her previous loss to Keys. She also praised her rival for her incredible season thus far.

"I didn’t expect this match to be that fast to be honest. I’m super happy with how I played. Much needed revenge. Super happy to get this tough win against Madison. What an amazing season so far she's having and I'm pretty sure many more to come, and yeah, can't wait to play many more matches against her," Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka further acknowledged the crowd support during the match, and felt that they appreciated her even more than Keys at times, who's an American.

"And guys, oh my god, I think you guys supported me more than her today. It was really, unbelievable for me to feel that, and I'll see you in the finals," she added.

Sabalenka has advanced to her second final at Indian Wells. She previously finished as the runner-up to Elena Rybakina in 2023. Having snapped one player's unbeaten run in the semifinals, she will need to do the same once again in the final.

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Aryna Sabalenka to face Mirra Andreeva in the Indian Wells 2025 final

Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva at the Madrid Open 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Aryna Sabalenka will face teen sensation Mirra Andreeva in the Indian Wells 2025 final on Sunday, March 16. The latter scored a 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3 win over defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. She also extended her unbeaten run to 11 matches, which started with her maiden WTA 1000 title in Dubai.

Sabalenka leads Andreeva 4-1 in the head-to-head. The youngster's only win in this rivalry came in the quarterfinals of last year's French Open. She needed three sets to get the job done despite her older rival being hindered by a stomach bug.

Sabalenka has won their remaining four matches quite comfortably, never conceding more than five games per match. She registered two of those wins earlier this year, a 6-3, 6-2 victory in the semifinals of the Brisbane International, followed by a 6-1, 6-2 win at the Australian Open. The World No. 1 will be keen to extend her dominance in this rivalry with another win on Sunday.