The world number one tennis player defeated the world number two, Elena Rybakina, in the match for the trophy tomorrow after a three-set upset – 3:6, 6:3, 7:6 (6) after two and a half hours of great struggle.
In this way, Sabalenka took revenge on Rybakina for her previous two defeats in finals – in Riyadh at the final Masters and at this year's Australian Open.
Arina was not at her best in the first set, making too many mistakes, while on the other hand, Rybakina served fantastically and made her opponent feel completely inferior on the court.
In the opening part of the game, the difference was made by the sixth game in which the Kazakh achieved a break point that she routinely saved until the end, although she had minor problems when serving for the set (her rival had nothing 30).
At the very start of the second set, Rybakina broke her opponent's serve after Arina gave her the game with a double fault.
In the short break between the first and second games, Sabalenka broke her racket, after which she played much better – she immediately responded with a rebreak and tied four games for the upset – 4:1. Then, in her two service games, she nullified one break chance from Rybakina and used the second set point for 6:3.
On the wings of a won second set, Arina got a break in the third game of the third set. The Belarusian held it until 5:4, when she failed to use her serve to win and take the set. Rybakina came back to 5:5. In the 11th game, the world number two neutralized five break chances and turned it around to 6:5, but Sabalenka then served without losing a point for 6:6, or a tie-break, which after all that had happened may have been the fairest.
Rybakina led 5:3, Sabalenka tied it at 5:5, and the Kazakh was the first to reach the match point on her own serve, but her rival cancelled it with a phenomenal backhand winner, and then won 8:6 to claim the 23rd title of her career.
On her way to her first title in Indian Wells, she lost only one set, and that was tonight, and before that she was better than Sakatsuma, Christian, Osaka, Mboko and Noskova.
Janik Siner and Danil Medvedev will meet in the men's final at 10 p.m. local time.
