INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Madison Keys showcased her dominance on the court, extending her remarkable winning streak to 16 matches by decimating wild-card entry Belinda Bencic with a swift 6-1, 6-1 victory in the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals on Thursday.
In just 65 minutes, the Australian Open champion set up an electrifying rematch against top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who later secured her spot in the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Liudmila Samsonova. Earlier this year, Keys triumphed over Sabalenka in a thrilling three-set contest in Melbourne, thwarting Sabalenka’s quest for a third consecutive title.
Despite Bencic’s impressive upset of No. 4 seed Coco Gauff in the previous round, the 28-year-old Swiss player struggled against the fierce competition posed by fifth-seeded Keys.
On the men’s side, 22-year-old Ben Shelton made headlines as the youngest American man to reach the quarterfinals at Indian Wells since 2004, but he fell short of advancing. Jack Draper from England moved ahead with a solid 6-4, 7-5 win.
As the 13th seed, Draper is set to clash with No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion. Alcaraz’s remarkable form continued with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over Francisco Cerundolo, marking his 16-match winning streak at Indian Wells.
Iga Swiatek continued her quest for tennis greatness, reaching the BNP Paribas semifinals for the fourth straight time, aiming to be the first woman to claim the title three times. The No. 2 seed from Poland dispatched eighth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China with a score of 6-3, 6-3, in a highly anticipated rematch of last summer’s Paris Olympics semifinal.
As the defending champion, Swiatek is riding a 10-match winning streak in the California desert, having also clinched the event title in 2022. Zheng notably halted Swiatek’s impressive 25-match winning run at the Olympics last year.
Swiatek capitalized on all five of her break point opportunities, while Zheng managed to break twice, contributing to the competitive match where Zheng equaled the total number of games Swiatek had previously conceded in the tournament.
On the men’s front, Daniil Medvedev has reached the Indian Wells semifinals for the third consecutive year, overcoming 20-year-old French star Arthur Fils with a hard-fought 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7) victory, despite facing strong gusts that momentarily interrupted the action.
The 29-year-old Russian, seeded fifth, remains on track for yet another final, despite a brief tussle with the elements during the decisive third set.
Mirra Andreeva continued her impressive run, securing a spot in the women’s semifinals after defeating Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-3. Meanwhile, Holger Rune advanced to his maiden Indian Wells semifinal with a comeback victory, rallying from a set down to finish 5-7, 6-0, 6-3 against Tallon Griekspoor.
