Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will contest an Australian Open final rematch at Indian Wells on Sunday.
The world number one and soon-to-be world number two will battle it out for the Indian Wells title.
But who will emerge victorious?
Who wins more Grand Slams in their career – Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka?
During the latest episode of ‘The Big T Podcast‘, Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, predicted the winner.
Brad Gilbert backs Aryna Sabalenka to win Indian Wells
“You know, my mind tells me that [Elena] Rybakina is on a roll, she’s beaten her twice in a row, she’s been the best player…” said Gilbert.
“But for some reason, I feel like [Aryna] Sabalenka is due at this tournament.
“I feel like there’s going to be one tight set, maybe 7-6, 6-3.
“I’m going Sabalenka in straights!”
Gilbert gave a tactical breakdown ahead of their 16th career meeting.
“First of all, Sabalenka isn’t comfortable being on defence, and neither is Rybakina,” he said.
“But the way that Rybakina plays, she can make her uncomfortable with her first strike tennis and her serve, plus one.
“I also feel like no matter how many times you’ve played a player, you hear a lot of people say ‘There are no new secrets’, there’s always variables, based upon the court you played on in Saudi Arabia, Australia, this is a different court!
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina’s head-to-head record (8-7)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2026 Australian Open – F | Elena Rybakina | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 2025 WTA Finals – F | Elena Rybakina | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2025 Wuhan Open – QF | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2025 Cincinnati Open – QF | Elena Rybakina | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2025 Berlin Open – QF | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina | 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 |
| 2024 WTA Finals – RR | Elena Rybakina | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 |
| 2024 Madrid Open – SF | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina | 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 |
| 2024 Brisbane International – F | Elena Rybakina | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-0, 6-3 |
| 2023 WTA Finals – RR | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina | 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 2023 China Open – QF | Elena Rybakina | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-5, 6-2 |
| 2023 Indian Wells – F | Elena Rybakina | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 2023 Australian Open – F | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina | 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2021 Wimbledon – 4R | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina | 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 |
| 2021 Abu Dhabi Open – QF | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina | 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 |
| 2019 Wuhan Open – QF | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina | 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 |
“Plus, the coach in me, I always like to see what the player is doing these last couple of matches. Is she hitting the ball a little bit more down the line?
“I want to know the data from what she has done this week.”
Sabalenka leads her head-to-head with Rybakina 8-7, but it’s the Kazakh who has had the edge recently.
Rybakina defeated Sabalenka to win the WTA Finals last November and the Australian Open this January.
And, to make matters worse for the Belarusian, Rybakina beat Sabalenka in their one previous Indian Wells meeting, three years ago.
Only time will tell if she can repeat the feat on Sunday.
Mark Petchey calls Brad Gilbert ‘Nostradamus’ for his predicting skills
Introducing his podcast co-host, Mark Petchey, said the following.
“I’ve got Brad Gilbert alongside me, also known as Nostradamus,” he said.
“Because you predicted 4-0 and both winners yesterday.”
“I appreciate that,” Gilbert replied.
“Not quite like Prakash’s [Amritraj] 9-0 so far in the tournament, but I felt pretty good!”
Gilbert correctly predicted the outcome of the two semifinal matches on the previous episode.
“I’m going four sets to nil, I’m going Sabalenka [to beat Linda Noskova], and I’m going Rybakina [to beat Elina Svitolina],” he said.
Rybakina will have to hope that Gilbert’s predicting luck ran out in the semifinals!
Sabalenka and Rybakina will contest the 2026 Indian Wells final on Sunday, March 15.
