Sabalenka saves match point to win first Indian Wells title over Rybakina

Sabalenka Wins First Indian Wells Title, Saving Championship Point to Defeat Rybakina

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka claimed her first BNP Paribas Open title on Sunday, defeating Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in a dramatic final that lasted over two and a half hours at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The victory, her 23rd career WTA singles title and 10th WTA 1000 crown, came after Sabalenka saved a championship point in the third-set tiebreaker with a cross-court backhand winner.tennismajors

A Match Decided by Margins

Rybakina took the first set comfortably, and after breaking early in the second, appeared poised to run away with the match. Down 3-6, 0-1, Sabalenka cracked her racquet and had a heated exchange with her coaching box — then flipped the switch, winning four straight games to level the match.tennismajors

The third set was a battle of nerves. Sabalenka served for the title at 5-4 but was broken. Rybakina fought back to 5-5, then saved five break points in a grueling 11th game to take a 6-5 lead. After Sabalenka held at love, the match went to a tiebreaker — only the third time in history a women’s singles final at Indian Wells reached a deciding tiebreak.bnpparibasopen

At 6-5 in the breaker, Rybakina earned a championship point. Sabalenka responded by tattooing a return of a 121 mph serve before scorching a backhand cross-court winner to level at 6-6. Two points later, a service winner sealed the title. Remarkably, Rybakina won more total points in the match — 104 to 100 — but came away empty-handed.tennismajors

Rivalry Renewed, Ghosts Exorcised

The win snapped a streak of four consecutive WTA final defeats for Sabalenka against Rybakina, including the 2026 Australian Open final and the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh. Sabalenka had also lost to Rybakina in the 2023 Indian Wells final and fell to Mirra Andreeva in the 2025 edition. Her record in 2026 now stands at 17-1, with her only loss the Australian Open final to Rybakina.filmogaz

The triumph capped a memorable stretch for the Belarusian, who announced her engagement to Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis on March 3, sharing a proposal video on Instagram with the caption “You & me, forever”. Fellow players including Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and Novak Djokovic offered congratulations.justwomenssports

The Road Ahead

Sabalenka carries her No. 1 ranking into the clay-court season but faces a steep points defense, with 4,035 points to protect through Roland-Garros. Rybakina, now confirmed as world No. 2 ahead of Iga Swiatek, has just 998 to defend over the same stretch — setting up a race for the top ranking that promises to run deep into the summer.tennismajors