Aryna Sabalenka saved a championship point before clinching her first Indian Wells title on Sunday.
Sabalenka avenged her loss to Rybakina in the Australian Open final, clinching a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory over the Kazakh star.
Sabalenka, who had lost four consecutive finals against Rybakina before Sunday’s contest, found herself one point from defeat in the final set tiebreak when she trailed 5-6.
Who wins more Grand Slams in their career – Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka?
The Belarusian maintained her composure before producing one of the greatest shots of her career so far, crushing an unreturnable backhand cross-court.
Sabalenka closed out the tiebreak 8-6, cementing her status as the best WTA player on the planet.
Aryna Sabalenka left unhappy with being broken while serving for the match
Sabalenka appeared to be in control of the match in the deciding set: the Belarusian found herself 5-4 ahead and serving for the match.
However, Rybakina quickly turned the tide, breaking Sabalenka’s serve before saving four break points of her own in the subsequent game.
Sabalenka was understandably frustrated, but did well to steady herself before closing out the match.
Despite securing victory, Sabalenka was left unhappy at letting the initial opportunity pass her by.
“I am still unhappy with a couple of things in the match,” Sabalenka told Tim Henman, Martina Navratilova and Gigi Salmon during an interview with Sky Sports.
“I felt like I could have closed this match earlier but she really returned really well today and put me under so much pressure.
“I am just happy in the last three points of the match I was able to pull out everything that I had and get the win.”
Sabalenka then discussed the break-point opportunities she had at 5-5 in the third set.
“It was all second serves,” she said. “The first one I was telling myself go cross court and I missed by a little.
Aryna Sabalenka’s path to the 2026 Indian Wells title
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| R2 | Himeno Sakatsume | 6–4, 6–2 |
| R3 | Jaqueline Cristian | 6–4, 6–1 |
| R4 | Naomi Osaka | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Quarter-final | Victoria Mboko | 7-6, 6-4 |
| Semi-final | Linda Noskova | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Final | Elena Rybakina | 3–6, 6–3, 7–6 |
“Then I was like go closer to the middle and then it was a super short ball.
“Then I thought go down the line and I felt like it was perfect and then I knew she was going to the forehand and then all of a sudden I missed.
“It was stressful but I was glad that even after that game I was focused and calm and able to think clearly about what I had to do to get to the tiebreak and win.”
Aryna Sabalenka joins Serena Williams on exclusive list
As per OptaAce, Aryna Sabalenka is the fourth player to claim 10+ WTA-1000 titles since the format’s introduction in 2009 after Serena Williams (13), Iga Swiatek (11) and Victoria Azarenka (10). Aristocracy.
What would happen if Serena Williams played Aryna Sabalenka in 2025?
Williams, a two-time Indian Wells champion, won 13 WTA 1000 titles during her 27-year career.
Iga Świątek and Victoria Azarenka have won 11 and 10 WTA 1000 titles in their careers so far, respectively.
Sabalenka will now turn her attention to the Miami Open, where she is the defending champion.
If Sabalenka were to repeat in Florida, she would become the first WTA singles player to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ since Iga Swiatek in 2022.
Steffi Graf, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, was the first WTA player to complete the feat, doing so in 1994.
The German star did so again in 1996, before Kim Clijsters added her name to the list nine years later.
WTA singles players who have completed the ‘Sunshine Double’
- Steffi Graf (1994, 1996)
- Kim Clijsters (2005)
- Victoria Azarenka (2016)
- Iga Swiatek (2022)
Victoria Azarenka is the fourth WTA player to win the Sunshine Double, having done so in 2016.
