01/09/26 08:17:00
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01/09 08:16 CST Sabalenka flips the outcome with a straight-sets win over Keys
in Australian Open tuneup
Sabalenka flips the outcome with a straight-sets win over Keys in Australian
Open tuneup
By JOHN PYE
AP Sports Writer
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) --- This rematch between the Australian Open finalists
was lopsided, and Aryna Sabalenka flipped the outcome with a straight-sets win
over Madison Keys.
Top-ranked Sabalenka broke Keys' in five straight service games on the way to a
6-3, 6-3 win in 1 1/2 hours Friday to reach the semifinals of the Brisbane
International, a tuneup event for the Australian Open which begins Jan. 18.
"I didn't really have the throwback to the Australian Open last year, to be
honest," Sabalenka said. "I know that I lost in Australia against her and it's
a big motivation, of course, to go out and get the win.
"But I always look into the (next) match as like a new match against a new
player. That's my approach."
The defending Brisbane champion will next take on 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova,
who had a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win over Elena Rybakina to end a 13-match streak for
the No. 3 seed. Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula had a 6-3, 7-6 (3) quarterfinal
win over No. 10 Liudmila Samsonova and will next play No. 16 Marta Kostyuk, who
beat sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (7), 6-3.
Muchova has the better of the career head-to-head meetings against WTA Finals
champion Rybakina. She also has a 3-1 record against No. 1 Sabalenka.
"Doesn't matter if I'm the one who is leading head-to-head or I'm the one who
is losing --- I don't care," Sabalenka said, adding that her focus is to
control the kinds of emotions that derailed her sometimes when she was younger.
"In the past, I could lose a match because I'd be so frustrated. Now I'm just
trying to move on like, ?OK, whatever,'" she said. "I feel like it's been
working well for me."
Keys will head to Adelaide aiming to retain the title there and then hope to
repeat the sequence from 2025, when she went on to win her first Grand Slam
title two weeks later in Melbourne.
"Hopefully I can gain and then just keep a lot of momentum going," she said.
"Hopefully there is many more firsts to come."
On a warm Friday afternoon on Pat Rafter Arena, Sabalenka got the first service
break in the seventh game and then took six of the next seven games. Keys broke
serve to open the second set in the only interruption in that sequence.
The 30-year-old American faced immense pressure on her second serve, finishing
the match with eight double-faults and winning just 33% of points on her second
serve.
Keys saved two match points in the eighth game of the second set but it barely
slowed down Sabalenka, who served out at love.
Sabalenka has two straight-set wins over Keys --- the other was 6-0, 6-1 at
Indian Wells --- since that loss at Melbourne Park almost 12 months ago. She
also reached the French Open final, won the U.S. Open and finished the
competitive season with a runner-up finish at the WTA Finals.
Earlier at the Brisbane tournament, she described the season schedule as
"insane" and said she'll risk fines in order to skip tournaments to avoid
injuries or burnout. Still, she wants as much competition as possible before
the season's first major.
"I'm just trying to get some matches, get some wins," she said, "and get the
rhythm going again."
Medvedev rallies
In the men's tournament, top-seeded Daniil Medvedev came from a set down to
beat Kamil Majchrzak 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 and advance to the semifinals.
"I managed to stay composed and hit some great shots to win the match,"
Medvedev said.
Medvedev will face Alex Michelsen in the semis.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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