Aryna Sabalenka says her Australian Open final defeat by Madison Keys was "tough to accept", as she seeks a return to form at the Indian Wells Open.

The world number one came within whiskers of landing a third straight title at Melbourne Park at the end of January, but was narrowly beaten 6-3 2-6 7-5 by her American opponent.

Sabalenka's frustration was evident as she lashed her racquet down at the end of the match, before heading off to the locker room in tears, though she did then return to the court for the presentations.

The three-time major winner had started her 2025 season with 11 straight victories, but that defeat sparked a change in fortunes, as she lost three of her next four matches.

Sabalenka concedes it took her a while to get over that loss, but says she has learned her lesson.

"That [final] was tough to accept, to be honest," she said. "It took me a week and maybe a little bit longer than that to stop thinking and to finally move on.

"I'd say that lesson's learned, and it's in the past. As an athlete, you learn how to have a short memory, I'd say, and it's actually pretty easy to do."

The top seed at Indian Wells, Sabalenka will look to get back to winning ways at the WTA 1000 event, where she will play either Anna Blinkova or McCartney Kessler in her opening match.

Runner-up to Elena Rybakina in 2023, the 26-year-old boasts a 10-5 record at the tournament, which she would love to add to her silverware collection.

"[The] final I lost against Elena was also a tough match," she said. "I felt like I kind of lost that match on my own.

"To win this trophy would mean a lot, because I had a lot of crazy experience here at Indian Wells, and I always wanted to win this tournament."

World No. 1 clocking in #WTAOffCourtFits | Blair Caldwell pic.twitter.com/FYwmwgxf1H

— wta (@WTA) March 5, 2025