Aryna Sabalenka finally exorcised her Indian Wells demons on Sunday, saving a match point in a heart-stopping tiebreak to defeat Elena Rybakina and claim the BNP Paribas Open title for the very first time.
The world No. 1 fought back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in a match that lasted more than two and a half hours under the blistering California sun. It was a result that felt both inevitable — given Sabalenka’s dominance this season — and utterly improbable, given the manner in which it unfolded.
A Rival Exorcised
Sabalenka ended a frustrating run of finals futility against Rybakina, who had won their last four title clashes, starting with a triumph at Indian Wells in 2023 and including a nail-biter at the Australian Open in January. After falling in the 2023 and 2025 Indian Wells finals, this victory was especially sweet.
She had lost to Rybakina at the WTA Finals in Riyadh and at the Australian Open in January. She arrived in the desert as the woman who had defined this rivalry’s most recent chapter. On Sunday, the chapter turned.
A Rocky Start
The opening stages of the final were tightly contested, with both players relying heavily on their serves, holding comfortably through the early games with neither managing to create significant pressure on return.
Rybakina converted the only break point of the opening set for a 4-2 lead and backed it up with a love game. She won 80% of points behind her first serve in the opener compared with 64% for Sabalenka, and sealed the set 6–3 after 31 minutes.
The opening of the second set looked ominous. A double-fault on break point in the opening game of the second set left Sabalenka in a world of trouble. Down 3-6, 0-1 with Rybakina having broken early in the second set, Sabalenka cracked her racquet and turned to her coaching box in a heated exchange that felt, for a moment, like the familiar unraveling. It was not. It was, instead, the ignition.
The Comeback
Sabalenka dug in, winning the next four games to take a 4-1 lead. She broke Rybakina at love to level the set at 1-1 and saved two more break points in a marathon third game. Rybakina double-faulted on break point to hand Sabalenka a 3-1 lead.
Rybakina attempted to stay within reach by holding serve late in the set, but Sabalenka maintained control and eventually closed it 6–3, sending the match into a deciding third set.
Third Set Drama
The final set delivered the most dramatic moments of the match. Sabalenka appeared to take control after producing a remarkable comeback from 40–0 down on Rybakina’s serve to secure an early break. She moved ahead 4-1 and looked to be cruising — but Rybakina had other ideas.
Serving for the championship at 5-4 in the third, Sabalenka was broken. Rybakina refused to let it go. The match went to a tiebreak, and there it reached its rawest, most unforgiving point — six games all, both women one swing from glory or heartbreak.
The Match Point That Defined It All
Sabalenka rallied from 3-5 down before saving match point with a stunning backhand winner. In the tiebreak, Rybakina had championship point at 6-5 on her serve, but a Sabalenka signature cross-court backhand winner — she had 29 winners on the day — kept the trophy hopes alive.
From that moment, the Belarusian regained control. Sabalenka won three consecutive points to close the tiebreak 8–6 and complete the comeback victory. 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.
Sky Sports Tennis pundit Tim Henman summed it up perfectly: “We talked about how hot it is but their resilience mentally and physically — they never took a backward step and in those most crucial moments still the quality of tennis never dipped. One of the best matches I’ve seen for a few years.”
A Week to Remember
The title was the crowning moment of a remarkable personal week for the Belarusian. “What a week,” Sabalenka said during the trophy presentation. “Getting a puppy, getting engaged and winning a title. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”
Afterwards she flashed her engagement ring at the crowd and welcomed her new puppy onto the court to celebrate.
The victory was her 23rd WTA title and her 10th WTA 1000 trophy, and her 20th hard court title. Her season record now stands at 17-1.
As for what comes next, there’s not much time to celebrate — Sabalenka was set to leave Sunday night for the Miami Open, where she’s the defending champion. “Probably will have a couple drinks on the plane and that’s it,” she said.
