Elena Rybakina Blames Heat and Lack of Energy After Aryna Sabalenka Defeat

Aryna Sabalenka improved her head-to-head lead over Elena Rybakina to 9-7 after her Indian Wells triumph.

Elena Rybakina Blames Heat and Lack of Energy After Aryna Sabalenka Defeat

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

In Short
  • Elena Rybakina cited extreme heat and lack of energy as factors in her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka at the Indian Wells final.
  • Aryna Sabalenka won her first Indian Wells title, improving her head-to-head record against Rybakina to 9-7.
  • The Miami Open begins on March 17, with both players aiming for further success in the tournament.

Elena Rybakina couldn’t sustain her level throughout the Indian Wells final against Aryna Sabalenka due to the extreme heat. And as a result, despite taking the first set off the Belarusian, she ended up losing the match 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6).

En route to the win, the first seed even saved one championship point in the deciding set tie-break. Sabalenka had lost their previous two meetings, in the title clashes of last year’s WTA Finals and this year’s Australian Open.

I haven’t been able to fully adjust to the heat these past few weeks because I’ve played most of my matches in the afternoon or on cooler days. I feel like the high temperatures really affected me today; I lost a lot of energy in the second set and gave Aryna confidence. I should have played better in that second set.

Elena Rybakina said at the press conference

The World No.1, who has now improved her head-to-head record over Rybakina to 9-7, won the Indian Wells singles title for the first time following two defeats in the finals. She lost to Rybakina in 2023 and to Mirra Andreeva last year.

I know her strengths and weaknesses. I prepared well for the match with my team, and we both adjusted our return game to try to neutralize each other’s serve. It’s clear that her serve is very good and that she can put spin on the balls, which makes it very difficult to play against her, but I think what I struggled with most today was myself.

Elena Rybakina added

It was her second title of the season following the Brisbane International, where she defeated Marta Kostyuk. Sabalenka is now a 10-time champion in WTA 1000 singles events. She has now improved her win-loss record in tour-level singles finals to 23-20.

Aryna Sabalenka will be bidding to defend her Miami Open title

Now that the Indian Wells is done and dusted, the tennis world will be shifting its focus to the Miami Open. Sabalenka will be entering the fourth WTA 1000 of the season as the defending champion.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/HQ Pics)

A few memorable things happened in the last two weeks in Sabalenka’s life. She got engaged to boyfriend Georgios Frangulis, welcomed her new puppy Ash, and finally lifted her first title in the California desert. At the press conference later, she was asked how she would celebrate her triumph.

Well, I guess I’ll have a couple of espresso martinis and some Five Guys takeout. That’s basically why I’m never in shape—it’s Five Guys and espresso martinis to celebrate (laughs). Maybe a couple of drinks just to lift our spirits, and that’s about it, because the schedule is so tight, and we’re already on to the next one. I can’t relax too much because I’m the reigning champion there, and besides, it’s Miami.

Last year in Miami, Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula to win her career’s first Sunshine Doubles singles title. She made three WTA 1000 finals last year, losing the Indian Wells to Andreeva and winning the Miami Open and the Madrid Open by defeating Pegula and Coco Gauff, respectively.

The main draw of the Miami Open starts on March 17. Rybakina will be chasing her third WTA 1000 title of her career. Apart from the 2023 Indian Wells, she won the Italian Open the same year. In Miami, Rybakina is a two-time finalist, reaching the stage in 2023 and 2024, losing to Petra Kvitova and Danielle Collins, respectively.

Her Indian Wells run helped her reach her career-best No.2 ranking by removing Iga Swiatek, who lost to Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals. Sabalenka will continue to remain on top of the rankings.

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