World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has 23 WTA singles titles under her belt, including wins at the Australian and US Opens. But she's only been the runner-up at Indian Wells — until now. After finishing in second place at the 2023 and 2025 events, Sabalenka won her first BNP Paribas Open final with an impressive 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory over Elena Rybakina on Sunday.
Sabalenka's feat held extra meaning since Rybakina was the one who beat her at Indian Wells in 2023. The Kazakh standout was also the one to top Sabalenka in the 2025 WTA Finals championship and the Australian Open in the past few months, making this win a redemptive moment for the Belarusian star.
“I think the whole idea going into this match was to be mentally strong, to stay strong, no matter what, to show with the body language that I'm here, I'm fighting,” Sabalenka said in a post-match interview. “You have to get a win with incredible tennis, and that was the whole idea going into this one. I'm happy that it really worked.”
The 27-year-old had to make a quick turnaround to head to the Miami Open, which is set to start Monday. However, Sabalenka said she's still making sure to take a minute to celebrate the career milestone before focusing on defending another title.
“I'll remember it for the rest of my life,” Sabalenka said.
“Probably will have a couple drinks on the plane and that's it. I'm defending champion there, so I have to bring my best tennis there. But with these vibes that I'm taking from here, I think I'll be able to be there and to fight and to do my very best to defend that beautiful trophy.”
