Aryna Sabalenka Considers Elena Rybakina ‘the Kindest’ Player on Tour After their Exhillerating Indian Wells Final
Aryna Sabalenka beats Elena Rybakina in three sets to win the Indian Wells Open.
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Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina (Image via X/HQ Pics)
Aryna Sabalenka has described Elena Rybakina as the “kindest one on tour” after beating the Kazakhstan star in the final of the Indian Wells Open. The World No.1’s comment highlighted that respect between the two players despite one of the most intense rivalries currently shaping the women’s circuit.
The Indian Wells final was the 16th meeting between Sabalenka and Rybakina on tour and the sixth since June last year. The pair have met twice this year and thrice since November, all coming in championship matches. Only a few can push Sabalenka as Rybakina has done in the past six months on tour.
At the final in the California desert, Sabalenka had to rally from a set down and save a championship point to beat Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6). During the tie break, Rybakina started well and 6-5 before Sabalenka won the last three points to seal the match under the sizzling heat in the desert.
The title was Sabalenka’s 23rd WTA trophy of her career. The victory marked her 10th WTA 1000 title and her second championship of the 2026 season after the Brisbane International in January. However, Sabalenka leads Rybakina 9-7 on their head-to-head record on tour, most of their clash have ended in three sets.
Before their meeting in Indian Wells, Rybakina was the favorite due to the fact that she held a 4-1 lead against Sabalenka in the final clashes. The only time Sabalenka tried to get the better of the 26-year-old was at the 2023 Australian Open. Anyway, Sabalenka earned her second win in the final in California and revealed during her press conference that she enjoys facing the World No.2 in finals:
Yeah, she’s a nice one. I would say that she’s the kindest one on tour. Yeah, we have been playing for so long so many matches. And honestly, I really enjoy it, even though I lost so many of them and really painful ones. But still I enjoy it because it means that the final gonna be a show, it’s gonna be great tennis, great level, and it’s gonna be a fight, which is great for people to watch and also for me to become a better player.
Rybakina has reached the quarter-finals of all the tournaments that she has played this season. The 26-year-old has been on a good run of form since last October, winning the Ningbo Open and securing a place in the WTA Finals. Also, the reunion with her coach Stefano Vukov has been an immense influence on her style of play.
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are in the same half of the draw in Miami
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are projected to meet again at the Miami Open. In Indian Wells, they are in different halves of the draw but in Miami, they are locked in the top half of the draw. Should both players reach the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Florida, they will face off for the 17th time.
However, at the Miami Open, Sabalenka is seeking to become the first woman since Australia’s Ashleigh Barty to win the Sunshine Doubles, which would mean winning both the Indian Wells and the Miami Open. Barty successfully won the two titles in 2021 and in 2016, when she defeated Victoria Azarenka in the final in Indian Wells and Miami.
Sabalenka is the defending champion of the tournament having won it last year after defeating Jessica Pegula. The 27-year-old is slated to kick off her title defense against Ann Li or a qualifier in the second round. However, in Rybakina’s quarter is Jessica Pegula, who is her major contender for a place in the semi-finals.
Rybakina has faced Pegula three times since November and has won all three matches. She defeated the American star at the WTA Finals in Riyadh and then at the Australian Open before another victory at the Indian Wells Open.
Also Read: Jannik Sinner Proud of Overcoming Heat Troubles in Indian Wells Title-Winning Campaign
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