Aryna Sabalenka defeated Australian Open champion Madison Keys in last year’s Australian Open final, and the world number one reached the semifinals at the Brisbane International, continuing her preparations for the first Grand Slam of the year.
Belarusian Sabalenka will seek her third Australian Open title in four years later this month. She won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024 but lost to Keys in three sets in last year’s match.
The 27-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion maintained her strong start to the year with a third straight set win, dropping just 13 games in the six sets she played.
“I know I lost to her in Australia, and that’s certainly a huge motivation to go out and win,” said defending champion Sabalenka, who beat Keys in Indian Wells last March.
“But I will never stay in the past and never remember what happened in the last tournament. I approach it like this is a new tournament and no matter what happened in the past, I have to go out and play my best tennis.”
Sabalenka will battle Karolina Muchova for a place in the Brisbane final after the Czech defeated world number five Elena Rybakina 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3.
Muchova, ranked 20th, kept her composure in a fiery deciding set to end former Wimbledon champion Rybakina’s 13-match winning streak.
Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up, has won her past three matches against Sabalenka.
