Aryna Sabalenka shares perspective of the brutal reality she got after losing the last two finals at the Australian Open and Indian Wells
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face World No. 4 Jessica Pegula in her first Miami Open final.
Follow Us
Aryna Sabalenka (images via Australian Open and BNP Paribas Open)
After having lost the last two finals she played in, Aryna Sabalenka is into her fourth final of the year. The Belarusian has reached the finals of the Miami Open for the first time. Despite being known for her prowess on hard courts, Sabalenka is yet to win a title in either of the Sunshine Double events.
Sabalenka had a good start to her 2025 season, clinching the Brisbane International title by defeating Polina Kudermetova in the finals. She was the favorite going into the 2025 Australian Open as the two-time defending champion, however she was outplayed by Madison Keys in the finals. After this heartbreaking loss, Sabalenka had an inconsistent Middle East swing, however, she bounced back strongly with the North American Swing.
I felt pretty good in Australia. It’s not about how you feel but about how you adapt to different conditions. Regarding lessons, well, I think I have learned to focus on myself, not on what happens on the other side of the net. Sometimes players step onto the court with nothing to lose and go crazy with shots, making incredible shots. In those finals, I focused more on my opponents than on myself. I think I have to have the same attitude, the same mentality I had today; this time I’m going to do better than in the last two finals.
Aryna Sabalenka told the reporters
Sabalenka made it to the finals of the Indian Wells for the second time, her first time being in 2023. This year she lost to 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the finals in three sets. Going into the Miami Open, the World No. 1 has continued her impressive form, not dropping a set en route to the finals. The last time a WTA player made it to the finals back-to-back of the Indian Wells and Miami Open was in 2022 when Iga Swiatek accomplished the Sunshine Double feat.
Sabalenka expressed her happiness with the level at which she is playing at the Miami Open. The 26-year-old described that everything has gone smoothly for her and hopes to do better in this final compared to her previous two finals.
Aryna Sabalenka basks in a cute moment at the Miami Open
Aryna Sabalenka cruised past Jasmine Paolini in the Miami Open semifinal. Akin to Paolini, this marked Sabalenka’s first Miami Open semifinal too. Aside from two mistimed overheads and an ambitious ‘tweener’ shot that did not have enough power to trouble the Italian, Sabalenka barely put a foot wrong as she comfortably surged to victory in just one hour and 13 minutes.
Following her straight-set win over Paolini, the Belarusian had a brief chat with Tennis Channel. And with herself, she also brought along a cute little child. When the host asked, “Who’s this magnificent smile in the yellow?”, the Belarusian revealed, “She’s my goddaughter, guys”.
Aryna Sabalenka will face Jessica Pegula in the finals
Aryna Sabalenka will face World No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the Miami Open finals. Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 8-2. They last met at the 2024 US Open finals, where Sabalenka defeated Pegula to win her third Grand Slam title.
Pegula has also had a fairly decent performance this season. She won the ATX Open, a WTA 250 tournament earlier in the year. She has had an impressive performance in the Miami Open too, particularly putting a halt in the semifinals to wildcard Alexandra Eala‘s impressive run.
Eala, until that point, seemed unstoppable, having defeated three Grand Slam champions in straight sets prior to facing Pegula. A graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy, Eala will break into the world’s top 100 for the first time next week.
Stay Updated!
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)