Tennis: Sabalenka ends Indian Wells hoodoo with epic victory over Rybakina

The victory was sweet redemption for the Belarusian, who had lost her previous two Indian ⁠Wells finals, including to Rybakina herself in 2023, and had begun the year with a defeat to the Kazakh 26-year-old in the Australian Open final in January.

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A two-time Grand Slam champion, Rybakina dominated the opening exchanges ⁠of the first set, breaking Sabalenka to surge into a 4-2 lead and exploiting the Belarusian’s backhand to close it out. It was the first time Sabalenka had dropped a set in the tournament.

The second set began no more comfortably, with Sabalenka letting out an audible yell as Rybakina broke her in the opening game. But the four-time ‌Belarusian Grand Slam champion dug deep, responding with a love hold to level at 1-1, and gradually turned the tide.

A second break in the fourth game gave Sabalenka a commanding 4-1 lead, and although Rybakina pressed, the Belarusian’s intensity proved too much as she took the set with four aces and conceded nine unforced errors to Rybakina’s 13.

The decider was a match in itself. Sabalenka broke early to lead 3-1, only for Rybakina to claw back, level at 5-5 and take the lead for the first time ⁠in the set. Sabalenka responded immediately to force a tiebreak, where the score ⁠reached 6-6, before she pulled clear to seal it at 8-6.

With that final point, Sabalenka dropped to her knees – the relief of a champion who had waited three years and endured three finals to finally get her hands on the trophy.

“I want to congratulate Elena. I ⁠know we’ll face each other many more times,” Sabalenka said before receiving the trophy. “Thanks to everyone who made this tournament possible. It is truly a tennis ⁠paradise. I’m always happy to come here every year and thank God ⁠I got this trophy.”

The win caps an extraordinary week for the 27-year-old, who arrived in the Coachella Valley having recently got engaged to her Brazilian fiancée, Georgios Frangulis.

“This is a dream come true. I want to thank my team for always being there, and my ‌fiancée – what a week! Getting a puppy, getting engaged, and winning a title. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” she added.

With their rivalry set to define the women’s game for years to come, ‌Sabalenka ‌now has the edge with a 9-7 head-to-head lead. Both players are separated by one ranking place – Rybakina’s run to the final will lift her to number two in next week’s rankings.