Keys Extends Winning Streak, Gets Sabalenka Again at Indian Wells After Australian Open Title 

Madison Keys is congratulated by Belinda Bencic of Switzerland after their match during the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 13, 2025 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Madison Keys is congratulated by Belinda Bencic of Switzerland after their match during the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 13, 2025 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Keys Extends Winning Streak, Gets Sabalenka Again at Indian Wells After Australian Open Title 

Madison Keys is congratulated by Belinda Bencic of Switzerland after their match during the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 13, 2025 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Madison Keys is congratulated by Belinda Bencic of Switzerland after their match during the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 13, 2025 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Madison Keys extended her winning streak to 16 matches, reaching the BNP Paribas Open semifinals with a 6-1, 6-1 wipeout of wild-card entry Belinda Bencic on Thursday.

The Australian Open champion needed just 65 minutes to hold up her end of a rematch with top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 6-3 later. Keys beat Sabalenka in three sets in January at Melbourne Park, denying Sabalenka a third consecutive title.

Bencic was coming off an upset of No. 4 seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round, but the 28-year-old from Switzerland never had a chance against the fifth-seeded Keys.

Ben Shelton, at 22 the youngest American man to reach the quarterfinals at Indian Wells since 2004, couldn't go further. Jack Draper of England moved on to the semifinals with a 6-4, 7-5 victory.

The 13th-seeded Draper will face No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion who extended his winning streak at Indian Wells to 16 matches with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Francisco Cerundolo.

Iga Swiatek reached the BNP Paribas semifinals for the fourth consecutive time in her bid to be the first woman to win the tournament three times. The No. 2 seed from Poland beat eighth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China 6-3, 6-3 in a rematch of a Paris Olympics semifinal from last summer won by Zheng.

Swiatek, the defending champion, has a 10-match winning streak in the California desert. The five-time Grand Slam champion also won the event in 2022. Zheng ended Swiatek's 25-match winning streak at the Olympics last year.

Swiatek converted all five of her break points, but Zheng broke twice on her way to winning six games, matching the total Swiatek had dropped in the tournament coming into the match.

On the men's side, Daniil Medvedev reached the Indian Wells semifinals for the third consecutive year with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7) victory over 20-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils.

The 29-year-old Russian, seeded fifth, kept alive a bid for a third trip to the final of the event. That included a brief delay in the third set when gusty wind blew debris all over the stadium.

Mirra Andreeva advanced to the women's semifinals with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Elina Svitolina. Holger Rune moved on to his first Indian Wells semifinal by rallying for a 5-7, 6-0, 6-3 win over Tallon Griekspoor.



Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
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Jeddah to Host Opening Round of UIM E1 World Championship

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA
Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. SPA

Jeddah is set to host the opening round of the third season of the E1 Series, the world's first all electric raceboat championship, on January 23 and 24.

Organized by the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation in partnership with the Public Investment Fund and the UIM, the event underscores Saudi Arabia’s commitment to modern sports and environmental sustainability.

The 2026 season features eight international rounds. Following the Jeddah opener, the series will travel to Lake Como (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), and Monaco, followed by a second unannounced European round. The championship then heads to Lagos (Nigeria) and Miami (US), before reaching its grand finale in the Bahamas.

Hosting the season premiere aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote sports tourism. As Jeddah's shores transform into a global hub for advanced electric marine racing, the event solidifies the Kingdom's status as a leading destination for major international sporting competitions.


Djokovic Says 'Addiction' to Tennis Keeps him Going at 38

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
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Djokovic Says 'Addiction' to Tennis Keeps him Going at 38

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 17, 2026 Serbia's Novak Djokovic during the press conference REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Novak Djokovic said Saturday he still gets a "drug-like" adrenaline rush from tennis and is not thinking about retiring anytime soon.

The 38-year-old is about to embark on his 21st Australian Open and remains among the top contenders, behind defending champion Jannik Sinner and top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.

Melbourne Park is his favorite hunting ground, claiming 10 titles.

Despite scaling back his tournament appearances in recent years the Serbian great remains confident he can still compete with the best and is not ready to leave the sport behind.

"I'm still living my dream to be honest," the former world number one said on the eve of the opening Grand Slam of the year.

"It's passion and love for the game. It's the interaction with people. It's the energy that you feel when you walk out on the court.

"That adrenaline rush, it's almost like a drug.

"I think that a lot of the top athletes from different sports can relate to that. I have been at least hearing them speak about that.

"It's so addictive, you know, the feeling of competing."

His long-time rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both hung up their racquets and Djokovic said he constantly got asked about when he would join them.

"I have been asked a lot about obviously when is the end date going to come for me, but I don't want to talk or think about it yet because I'm here, I'm competing," AFP quoted him as saying.

"When that arrives and kind of becomes ripe in my head, I'll share it with you, and then we can all discuss on the farewell tour.

"But right now I'm still number four in the world, still competing at the highest level, and I feel like there is no need to draw the attention to that discussion."


World Number Ones Sabalenka, Alcaraz Begin Australian Open Campaigns

This handout picture released by Tennis Australia on January 16, 2026, shows Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2026 Australian Open. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri / TENNIS AUSTRALIA / AFP)
This handout picture released by Tennis Australia on January 16, 2026, shows Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2026 Australian Open. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri / TENNIS AUSTRALIA / AFP)
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World Number Ones Sabalenka, Alcaraz Begin Australian Open Campaigns

This handout picture released by Tennis Australia on January 16, 2026, shows Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2026 Australian Open. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri / TENNIS AUSTRALIA / AFP)
This handout picture released by Tennis Australia on January 16, 2026, shows Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2026 Australian Open. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri / TENNIS AUSTRALIA / AFP)

The first round of the Australian Open begins in Melbourne on Sunday.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz, who could complete a career Grand Slam if he wins the tournament, faces Adam Walton, while Aryna Sabalenka takes on Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah as she seeks a third title at Melbourne Park.

TOP MEN'S MATCH: ALCARAZ V WALTON
At 22, Alcaraz could replace Don Budge as the youngest man to achieve the career Grand Slam with victory at the Australian Open. The Spaniard has left no one in any doubt what his main goal is for the 2026 season, saying in November he would rather win a first Melbourne Park crown than retain his French and US Open titles.

His quest to make history will begin with a first-round tie against Australian Walton, Reuters reported.

The pair have crossed paths once before, with Alcaraz beating the Australian ⁠6-4 7-6(4) during his title-winning run at the Queen's Club Championships last year.

TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: SABALENKA V RAKOTOMANGA RAJAONAH
Sabalenka will be bidding to continue her incredible record in hard court Grand Slam tournaments when she begins her campaign against Frenchwoman Rakotomanga Rajaonah.

The Belarusian world number one has reached the final of the last six majors she has played on the surface, winning four of those.

She enters the competition in fine form after retaining her Brisbane International title this ⁠month without losing a set, and should have little trouble when she takes on the 118th-ranked Rakotomanga Rajaonah.

VENUS WILLIAMS IS BACK
Venus Williams, a two-times Australian Open singles finalist, returns to the tournament for the first time since 2021 after receiving a wildcard.

The 45-year-old faces Olga Danilovic in the first round, where she is set to become the oldest woman to feature in the Australian Open main draw by surpassing Japan's Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she bowed out in the first round in 2015.

Williams has endured a poor start to the season, losing to Magda Linette in the first round in Auckland and to Tatjana Maria in her opening match at the Hobart International.

Despite her defeats, she ⁠said she was happy with her level.

"I can't expect perfection right now, but I know I'm playing good tennis.

Winning and losing doesn't know any age. Once you walk on court, you're there to compete," Williams said before her defeat in Hobart.