Tennis Mar 16, 2026

Indian Wells: Aryna Sabalenka beats Elena Rybakina in thrilling BNP Paribas Open final lasting more than two and a half hours

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Indian Wells: Aryna Sabalenka beats Elena Rybakina in thrilling BNP Paribas Open final lasting more than two and a half hours

Aryna Sabalenka beat fierce rival Elena Rybakina in a thrilling final to secure her first Indian Wells title after more than two-and-a-half hours in the searing California heat.

The world No 1 fought back from a set down to win 3-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6), saving a match point in the final set tie-break before battling to her historic win.

The win follows Sabalenka's recent engagement and, and afterwards she flashed her engagement ring at the crowd and welcomed her new puppy onto the court to celebrate.

"What a week," she said, "getting a puppy, getting engaged and winning the title. I will definitely remember it the rest of my life."

Rybakina, the world No 3, went into Sunday's match with a head-to-head advantage in finals against Sabalenka, having won four to her opponent's one.

But Sabalenka, who had become the first world No 1 to reach the Indian Wells final in consecutive years since it began in 1989, improved that record with a determined display.

Rybakina won the first set 6-3 with some brilliant tennis, frustrating her opponent, who has been dominant throughout the tournament.

Rybakina then broke in the first game of the second set, but the Belarusian turned things around to win the set 6-3.

The rallies began to get longer as both players battled towards the end, and Sabalenka appeared on the brink of victory at 5-3.

But Rybakina dug deep to win three games on the bounce before Sabalenka held serve to take the tournament finale to a tie-break.

Sabalenka saved championship point with a phenomenal backhand winner, clinching victory when a Rybakina return went long.

Following her defeat, Rybakina said: "Congratulations to Aryna and her team. Hopefully we will play very soon again. Not the result we wanted but it's been a good couple of weeks."

Following the classic, Your Site Tennis pundit Tim Henman said: "We talked about how hot it is but their resilience mentally and physically...they never took a backward step and in those most crucial moments still the quality of tennis never dipped.

"There was no let-up. One of the best matches I've seen for a few years."

He added: "When push came to shove, even when it hadn't gone her way in the third set, Sabalenka was just so focused, so resilient, she kept going for her shots.

"She was brave and on that match point, the backhand she crushed was absolutely amazing. Sabalenka was the worthy winner."

Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, live on Your Site or and the , giving Your Site customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost.

Tags:

tennis news

Share this article

Related Posts

Tennis 2026 schedule, Grand Slam dates and tournament calendar for ATP and WTA Tours

Tennis 2026 schedule, Grand Slam dates and tournament calendar for ATP and WTA Tours

Keep track of the dates, tournament calendar and latest results for the 2026 ATP and WTA Tours.Live tennis is available all year on Your Site while no...

Novak Djokovic withdraws from Miami Open with shoulder injury days after defeat to Jack Draper in Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic withdraws from Miami Open with shoulder injury days after defeat to Jack Draper in Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Miami Open with a shoulder injury days after his defeat to Jack Draper at Indian Wells.The 38-year-old, who look...

Indian Wells Finals Day LIVE! Score, results, game-by-game updates, and schedule with Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner in action

Indian Wells Finals Day LIVE! Score, results, game-by-game updates, and schedule with Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner in action

Tudor to remain in charge against AtleticoTottenham head coach Igor Tudor will take Tuesday's pre-Atletico Madrid news conference....

Jack Draper: British No 1 sees his Indian Wells title defence ended by Daniil Medvedev in controversial fashion

Jack Draper: British No 1 sees his Indian Wells title defence ended by Daniil Medvedev in controversial fashion

Tim Henman is confident Jack Draper will continue to go from strength to strength after watching the British No 1 see the defence of his Indian Wells...

Emma Raducanu knocked out of Indian Wells by Amanda Anisimova as Brit suffers defeat in 52 minutes to American

Emma Raducanu knocked out of Indian Wells by Amanda Anisimova as Brit suffers defeat in 52 minutes to American

Emma Raducanu suffered a quick exit to Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells, losing a third-round clash 6-1 6-1 in just 52 minutes. Anisimova reached the...

Emma Raducanu tennis schedule, next match, ranking, latest results and how to watch live on Sky Sports Tennis

Emma Raducanu tennis schedule, next match, ranking, latest results and how to watch live on Sky Sports Tennis

Keep track of Emma Raducanu's 2026 tennis schedule, latest results and next match on Your Site Tennis.The draw for the Miami Open was made on Sunday M...