Aryna Sabalenka broke through at Indian Wells on Sunday, capturing her first title at the California desert tournament after defeating Elena Rybakina in a marathon three-set final, 3-6 6-3 7-6(6). The victory delivered Sabalenka her 23rd career championship after years of disappointment at the venue.
The Kazakhstani Rybakina controlled the match early, seizing the first set by attacking Sabalenka’s backhand side and breaking serve to establish a 4-2 advantage before closing out the opener. This marked the first set the Belarusian had lost during her entire tournament run.
Sabalenka’s struggles continued into the second set as Rybakina immediately broke her serve in the first game, prompting an audible cry of frustration from the four-time Grand Slam winner. However, Sabalenka found her rhythm and fought back to claim the second set 6-3, forcing a decisive third set.
The final set delivered drama worthy of a championship match. Sabalenka gained an early advantage with a break to lead 3-1, but Rybakina mounted a comeback to even the score at 5-5 and briefly took her first lead of the set. Sabalenka immediately answered to push the match into a tiebreaker, where both players battled to a 6-6 deadlock before Sabalenka ultimately prevailed 8-6.
As the winning shot crossed the net, Sabalenka collapsed to her knees in pure relief, finally achieving the Indian Wells triumph that had eluded her through three previous final appearances over the past three years.
