Aryna Sabalenka edged past American opponent Madison Keys, winning 6-3 6-3 in their Brisbane International semi-final. The match marked the repeat of last year's Australian Open final between the two players. For Sabalenka, victory over her rival was a testament to her growing confidence in her game. Having lost in the previous showdown to Keys at the Australian Open, the Belarusian player cited this as motivation for their encounter.
Sabalenka's win marked the third consecutive match where she had emerged victorious with straight sets wins. The world number one has continued to assert herself throughout the tournament, boasting a strong performance thus far.
On the other side of the semi-final draw, Czech Karolina Muchova secured her place in the final after defeating fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-2 2-6 6-4. Muchova's match against Sabalenka will be their third meeting this year, following previous encounters at Indian Wells.
Daniil Medvedev also secured a semi-final spot by overcoming Kamil Majchrzak in straight sets 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-2. The former world number one and US Open champion is set to meet American Alex Michelsen for the final.
Meanwhile, Great Britain's Sonay Kartal lost her quarter-final match to Elina Svitolina at the ASB Classic in a deciding-set tie-break. Kartal ultimately fell short of achieving her goal of reaching the semi-finals after having held the lead in the initial set.
Sabalenka's win marked the third consecutive match where she had emerged victorious with straight sets wins. The world number one has continued to assert herself throughout the tournament, boasting a strong performance thus far.
On the other side of the semi-final draw, Czech Karolina Muchova secured her place in the final after defeating fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-2 2-6 6-4. Muchova's match against Sabalenka will be their third meeting this year, following previous encounters at Indian Wells.
Daniil Medvedev also secured a semi-final spot by overcoming Kamil Majchrzak in straight sets 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-2. The former world number one and US Open champion is set to meet American Alex Michelsen for the final.
Meanwhile, Great Britain's Sonay Kartal lost her quarter-final match to Elina Svitolina at the ASB Classic in a deciding-set tie-break. Kartal ultimately fell short of achieving her goal of reaching the semi-finals after having held the lead in the initial set.
Yaaassss, Aryna Sabalenka is on fire 
! I'm so stoked for her after that win against Madison Keys 
She's been playing some amazing tennis lately and it's awesome to see her confidence growing with each match 
It's going to be a tough one for Karolina Muchova in the final, but I have faith in Sabalenka 
Can't wait to watch their match! 
She's getting so confident and it's paying off! 
I love how she's using last year's loss to Keys as motivation, it's like a big ol' fuel for her game 
Let's go Sabalenka!! 
, she's truly on fire right now! But at the same time, I gotta think about how her rivalry with Madison Keys is getting a bit too hyped up 
. I mean, we all know they've had some epic battles before, but let's not forget that Keys has been working hard to get back on top too 
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. She had her moments, but you can't keep leading sets and still come up short, right? Anyway, I'm hyped for the final matchups - Sabalenka vs Muchova is gonna be a battle of wills 
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she's got that confidence and skill down pat, and it's showing in her game! i love how she's not intimidated by her rivals, like Keys last year... she just keeps pushing herself to be better. 3 straight set wins? yeah, that's impressive! 
. Daniil Medvedev is also doing great, I'm rooting for him in the final! 
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She's got that confidence thing down pat and it's paying off big time. I mean, who wouldn't want to take on a player who's been dominating their matches like she has? 
. I'm excited to see how Sabalenka and Muchova go head-to-head in the final - should be an epic showdown 
, Keys got destroyed 
. Like, I get it, confidence is key and all that jazz 
, but seriously, Keys should've taken this one 
, he's been playing like trash for ages 
, gonna be a shock if he wins this thing 
, maybe she'll bounce back stronger next time 
. And Muchova? 
, I dunno, she's just not that exciting to watch 
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. And let's not forget about Keys' frustration - she's clearly feeling the pressure, kinda like how some politicians feel when their opponents keep one-upping them 
i think she's gonna take down muchova in the final, especially since they've played each other like 3 times this year 
And I gotta say, I'm a little surprised Karolina Muchova made it to the final... she played some great tennis too! But Medvedev is lookin' strong for the win against Michelsen. Can't wait to see how this all plays out in the final.
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