Serena's newborn beats Vera by 6-4, securing dominant victory!
Sabalenka, the World No. 1, rallies from a set and a break down to win at Indian Wells for the first time.
After losing the first set and being broken in the fist game of the second set, you could see that "Here we go again" look wash across Aryna Sabalenka's face. Could she really lose another final to Elena Rybakina? That's when Sabalenka channeled her inner World No.
1 and changed the narrative. She broke back immediately, and won the second set which set up a third set for the ages that went all the way to a tiebreaker. The end result was a breakthrough 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over Rybakina, avenging a loss to her in the Australian Open in January and in the 2023 final in Indian Wells.
In the decisive third set, Sabalenka saved six straight break points at one point and then fended off a match point against for a win that will go down as one of the best finals in tournament history. When Rybakina's final return of serve went long, Sabalenka sunk to her knees in a combination of glee and relief as she had finally exorcised her desert demons. She'll take home the crystal Baccarat trophy and the $1,511,380 first-place prize, but the confirmation to the tennis world and to herself that she can still win tough finals matches may be even more valuable.
Sabalenka is now 17-1 in 2026, with a title in Brisbaine, a runner-up in Australia and a win here in the three tournaments she's played. This is her 10th Masters 1000 win and she is 10-4 in such finals. The 27-year-old from Belarus had 22 wins in her illustrious career including four grand slams, but she had never won this event, also losing in last year's final to Mirra Andreeva.