Indian Wells : World number one Aryna Sabalenka showed her resilience to defeat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) and win the Indian Wells Masters title on Sunday in Indian Wells, California.
Sabalenka had entered the final determined to overcome past disappointments against Rybakina, having lost the 2023 Indian Wells final to the Kazakh as well as major title matches at the WTA Finals last year and the Australian Open in January.
The Belarusian appeared headed for another defeat after dropping the opening set, but she battled back strongly, eventually clinching the match in a dramatic deciding-set tiebreak.
“The whole point was to have A, B, C, D, E plans. Today A, B and C definitely didn’t work,” Sabalenka told reporters.
“So I had to basically run there and put as much ball back at her as possible, and when I felt more confident, I went back to my usual aggressive and dominating game.”
Sabalenka said the experience of losing several big finals in the past had strengthened her mentality on court.
“With so many finals I’ve lost, they also teach me a lot of things — the game is never done till it’s done,” she said.
“Even when things are not going well, you stay focused and keep fighting.”
