Aryna Sabalenka handled a very windy day at the 2025 Indian Wells Open to beat Liudmila Samsonova and reach the semifinals.
The WTA world No. 1 entered the match in outstanding form. After a hard-fought win against McCartney Kessler in the previous round, Sabalenka hammered Lucia Bronzetti and Sonay Kartal.
Samsonova had the potential to be her most challenging opponent. In the last round, she thrashed the two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini 6-0, 6-4, with an outstanding display of hitting that left the Italian shell shocked.
However, the blustery weather in California meant it was difficult for either woman to play a consistently clean match.
Samsonova started the better, breaking Sabalenka with some impressive hitting, including a massive forehand on the run, which turned out to be her best shot of the match. She then held to take a 2-0 lead.
Unfortunately for the pre-match underdog, her positive start proved to be a false dawn. Sabalenka got on the scoreboard in the third game of the contest and looked more settled from that point onwards.
Although the rest of the set was scrappy, understandably so due to the wind, Sabalenka dealt with it more consistently. Samsonova’s level dropped from the opening two games, and she made several unforced errors throughout the rest of the set.
Sabalenka won six consecutive games to take the opening set 6-2. Samsonova hit 20 unforced errors compared to just four winners, demonstrating how challenging it was to control the ball in the wind.
Things got even worse for the 24th seed in the opening three games of the second set when Sabalenka’s level rose significantly. Despite securing six consecutive games, the Belarusian had not been at her best in the first set but hit a purple patch at the start of the second.
The three-time Grand Slam champion played her best return game of the match in the second game of set 2, striking two huge return winners and breaking Samsonova to love to take an early advantage.
Sabalenka then held to love, making it nine consecutive games won. The fans gave Samsonova an encouraging cheer when she stopped the rot in the next game, making it 3-1 with a perfectly placed forehand winner.
The world No. 1’s level suddenly fell in the next game. She dropped a few balls short, and, unlike the final six games of the opening set, Samsonova took full advantage to break and reduce the deficit to 2-3.
Sabalenka had a chance to break in the next game, but her opponent fought back with some brave tennis, including a rare venture to the net on break point. Samsonova’s resilience after losing nine straight games deserves admiration.
Eventually, Sabalenka asserted her authority again. The 2024 US Open winner won a tight game to go 5-4 up, then served it without any issues to seal a 6-2, 6-3 triumph.
Sabalenka spoke earlier in the tournament about being hungrier for success after her disappointing Middle Eastern swing, and that mindset was evident in how she efficiently dealt with a dangerous opponent and challenging conditions.
That win confirmed a rematch against Madison Keys, who beat Sabalenka in an epic 2025 Australian Open final. The American is on a 16-match winning streak, and the semifinal promises to be an epic battle.
