The women’s singles semifinals will be played on Friday, as will the men’s doubles semifinals.
In the championship match of this past January’s Australian Open, Madison Keys stopped Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for a three-peat in Melbourne, with the American claiming her first Major title. On Friday, we get the much-anticipated rematch of that great final. The other WTA semifinal is also a blockbuster matchup, as two-time champion Iga Swiatek takes on recent Dubai champ Mirra Andreeva. The 17-year-old is on a 10-match winning streak, which includes a victory over Swiatek.
Plus, the men’s doubles semifinals will also be staged, featuring the top-seeded team, a makeshift team, a wild card team, and an alternate team.
This preview will analyze the two most prominent matches of the day, while taking note of the other singles quarterfinals. Friday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Mirra Andreeva (9) vs. Iga Swiatek (2) – Not Before 4:00pm on Stadium 1
Andreeva is now 17-3 this season, and is coming off her first WTA 1000 title in Dubai. In the quarterfinals of that tournament just a few weeks ago, she defeated Swiatek 6-3, 6-3. Mirra has not dropped a set through four rounds here, and most notably dominated former champion Elena Rybakina, with the loss of only three games. After going 0-3 in her first three WTA 1000 quarterfinals, Andreeva is now vying for her second consecutive final at this level.
Swiatek is 18-4 this season, yet she is vying for her first final at any WTA event since Roland Garros over nine months ago. But this is a fourth straight semifinal in Indian Wells for the two-time and defending champion, where she is now 22-2 lifetime. And like Mirra, Iga is yet to drop a set. The slow-playing hard courts in “Tennis Paradise” are Swiatek’s favorite surface not named clay.
Their only other prior encounter occurred last summer in Cincinnati, where Swiatek came from a set down to prevail 7-5 in the third on some of the tour’s fastest-playing courts. In the recent Dubai contest, Andreeva’s improved serve was a significant factor, as was her down-the-line forehand and backhand. She drew 33 unforced errors out of Iga during those two sets, and after the match, Mirra credited her work with a sports psychologist for helping her keep her composure during crucial moments.
But on what is forecast to be another chilly evening in the desert, the conditions are going to be extremely slow, and that’s a significant advantage for Swiatek. Andreeva’s serve will not be as effective, and Swiatek will have more time to set up her groundstrokes, which she loves. Iga should be favored on Friday to avenge her recent loss to Mirra.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Madison Keys (5) – Not Before 6:00pm on Stadium 1
In the Australian Open final, Keys was a considerable underdog. Sabalenka was on a 20-match win streak in Melbourne, and Madison was coming off a grueling semifinal against Swiatek. That semi went all the way to a final-set tiebreak, and even saw Keys save a match point. Yet despite being pushed to a third set again by Aryna, Madison’s fourth three-setter in a row, the American persevered in big moments where she had previously flinched, and hit her way to her first Major title at the age of 29.
Keys is now 18-1 in 2025, and is currently on a 16-match winning streak. 10 of those 16 matches have gone to a third set, and she’s obviously won them all, including two here against Elise Mertens and Donna Vekic. On Thursday, Madison eased her way beyond Belinda Bencic by a score of 6-1, 6-1. This is her first Indian Wells semifinal, and she is 3-3 in semifinals at the WTA 1000 level.
Sabalenka is 15-3 in 2025, though after winning her first 11 matches of the year, she lost three of her next four, beginning with the loss to Keys. But she’s won all eight sets she’s contested this fortnight to reach her second Indian Wells semifinal. Aryna is an impressive 10-5 in WTA semifinals, and won all four semifinals she played last year at this level.
In Melbourne, Keys successfully mixed in some variety with her usual go-for-broke style to throw Sabalenka off her game. During the offseason, Madison changed both her racquet and her strings, and she’s talked about those equipment changes have helped her trust her power more than ever before. But on Friday, Aryna will be thirsty for revenge, and won’t be caught off guard by this new-and-improved version of Madison. While both players have similar styles, and both have achieved success on all surfaces, Sabalenka’s clay court success is superior to that of Keys. So in some very slow conditions on Friday night, I give the slight edge to Aryna.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic (1) vs. Christian Harrison and Evan King (WC) – This is a third semifinal on the year for the top seeds, though they are yet to advance farther. Harrison and King are playing to reach their fourth consecutive final, after winning titles last month in both Dallas and Acapulco, and also being finalists at Delray Beach.
Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson vs. Fernando Romboli and John-Patrick Smith (ALT) – This is just the third time Korda and Thompson are teaming together, and they saved a match point earlier this week to upset Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski. Romboli and Smith only got into the draw when the team of Francisco Cerundolo and Frances Tiafoe withdrew, and they have already survived three 10-point deciding tiebreaks to reach this semifinal.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
