Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka re-established herself as one of the best players in world tennis as she defeated Elena Rybakina in the final of Indian Wells 2026. Breaking her tournament curse, Sabalenka clinched her first BNP Paribas Open trophy.
It is worth noting that the clash between the two stars lasted for two and a half hours. Beating her long-time rival, Sabalenka registered a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory. Having lost two finals at the venue, it looked like history might repeat itself due to Rybakina’s start to the clash.
However, Sabalenka pulled it off in an incredible manner and registered a brilliant victory. Notably, this was her 23rd singles title win and her 10th at the WTA 1000 level, finally taking revenge for her heartbreak in the Australian Open final.
Sabalenka reflected on her victory after the game
After the win, Sabalenka came forward and talked about how believing in herself helped her register the brilliant win. She talked about the importance of staying mentally strong throughout the clash and revealed that she will remember the title victory for the rest of her life.
“I think the whole idea going into this match was to be mentally strong, to stay strong, no matter what, to show with the body language that I’m here, I’m fighting. You have to get a win with incredible tennis and that was the whole idea going into this one. I’m happy that it really worked,” Sabalenka said in a postmatch interview on the Tennis Channel.
“Probably will have a couple drinks on the plane and that’s it. I’m defending champion there, so I have to bring my best tennis there. But with these vibes that I’m taking from here, I think I’ll be able to be there and to fight and to do my very best to defend that beautiful trophy,” she added.
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