Sabalenka outlasts Rybakina for first BNP Paribas Open title in Indian Wells
· Yahoo Sports
After losing the first set and being broken in the fist game of the second set, you could see that "Here we go again" look wash across Aryna Sabalenka's face. Could she really lose another final to Elena Rybakina?
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That's when Sabalenka channeled her inner World No. 1 and changed the narrative. She broke back immediately, and won the second set which set up a third set for the ages that went all the way to a tiebreaker.
The end result was a breakthrough 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over Rybakina, avenging a loss to her in the Australian Open in January and in the 2023 final in Indian Wells. In the decisive third set, Sabalenka saved six straight break points at one point and then fended off a match point against for a win that will go down as one of the best finals in tournament history.
When Rybakina's final return of serve went long, Sabalenka sunk to her knees in a combination of glee and relief as she had finally exorcised her desert demons.
She'll take home the crystal Baccarat trophy and the $1,511,380 first-place prize, but the confirmation to the tennis world and to herself that she can still win tough finals matches may be even more valuable.
Sabalenka is now 17-1 in 2026, with a title in Brisbaine, a runner-up in Australia and a win here in the three tournaments she's played. This is her 10th Masters 1000 win and she is 10-4 in such finals.
The 27-year-old from Belarus had 22 wins in her illustrious career including four grand slams, but she had never won this event, also losing in last year's final to Mirra Andreeva.
Rybakina had been on an incredible run lately, having won 12 straight matches against top 10 players heading into Sunday. Even with the loss, she will leapfrog Iga Swiatek to move from No. 3 to No. 2 in the world rankings when the new list comes out Monday.
You would think a matchup between two top three players in the final would be commonplace, but it's actually been quite rare in Indian Wells. Sunday's match was the first time that has happened since 2012 when No. 1 Victoria Azarenka beat No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the final.
It's been an eventful two weeks in Indian Wells for Sybalenka that began and ended with a ring. She got engaged on March 3 to boyfriend Georgious Frangulis, and finished the tournament with the metaphorical championship ring.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Sabalenka outlasts Rybakina for first BNP Paribas Open title in Indian Wells