BRISBANE: World number one Aryna Sabalenka sent a warning to the Australian Open by beating Madison Keys on Friday in Brisbane in a repeat of last year’s Melbourne final.
Keys stunned Sabalenka almost 12 months ago, but the Belarusian gained revenge on the American with a 6-3, 6-3 victory to reach the semi-finals.
Keys was playing less than 24 hours after her three-hour marathon victory over Russia’s Diana Shnaider and had heavy strapping on her thigh.
She put in an unusually error-strewn performance and struggled on serve as Sabalenka nailed a series of superb returns.
Sabalenka is aiming for her third Melbourne title in four years when the Australian Open begins on January 18.
She will face surprise Czech Karolina Muchova in the last four after the 11th seed kept her cool to defeat world number five Elena Rybakina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Muchova raced throughout the first set against a struggling Rybakina, who finally found some rhythm to win the second.
But Muchova broke the former Wimbledon champion once in the third set to cross the line, helped by her opponent’s 42 unforced errors.
Muchova has won her last three matches against Sabalenka, although the last one was in 2024 at the China Open.
Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula advanced to the semi-finals with a comfortable 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Russian Liudmila Samsonova.
She will now face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk for a place in the final after Kostyuk beat rising Russian star Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (9/7), 6-3.
On the men’s side, former world number one Daniil Medvedev came from a set down to beat Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-2 to set up a semi-final against American Alex Michelsen.
The second semi-final will be an all-American clash between Brandan Nakashima and Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Published in Dawn, January 10, 2026
