Sabalenka edges Rybakina to claim long-awaited Indian Wells titleAryna Sabalenka shows off her engagement ring while talking to the crowd after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan to win the championship following their Women's Singles Finals match on Day 12 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. INDIAN WELLS, United States — Aryna Sabalenka saved a match point on the way to a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) victory over Elena Rybakina on Sunday (Monday Manila time) to claim a long-awaited first Indian Wells title. Deflated but determined, Sabalenka held at love to force the tiebreaker, rallying from 3-5 down before saving match point with a stunning backhand winner. A double-fault on break point in the opening game of the second set left Sabalenka in a world of trouble. Rybakina, her forehand errors rising along with the desert heat, double-faulted on break point to hand Sabalenka a 3-1 lead, Sabalenka holding with ease to make it 4-1 before Rybakina stopped the rot.

Source: Philippine Star March 16, 2026 03:43 UTC