Paradise For Sabalenka, Heartbreak For Rybakina In Epic Final

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina may coexist peacefully in the locker room, but when they take their talents to the tennis court, their rivalry is as ferocious as it is compelling.

In the first women’s singles final in the desert between two players ranked in the Top 3 since 2012, top-seeded Sabalenka came through another fierce tete-a-tete between the tour’s two most lethal players, saving a championship point to claim her first title in Tennis Paradise, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)..

“Thank God I got this trophy,” Sabalenka told the crowd at the podium after her triumph. “What a week: getting a puppy, getting engaged and winning a title. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

Having lost four consecutive finals to Rybakina, there was extra pressure — and motivation — fueling the World No. 1 on Sunday in front of a packed house of sun-drenched enthusiasts. Rybakina had won her last 12 matches against Top-10-ranked players, and she entered the final carrying a 9-6 record against No. 1-ranked players.

“It was a very difficult match,” a disappointed Rybakina told the crowd after the final. “Congratulations to Aryna and her team for all the achievements, and this final battle.”

Frustration leads to elation

When an ugly double fault by the top seed gave Rybakina a break in the first game of the second set, Sabalenka smashed her racquet in disgust at the changeover. For another player it might have been a sign of emotional surrender, but for the battle-scarred and ever-ambitious Sabalenka it was a sign of resistance.

The release of frustration appeared to help as Sabalenka broke at love in the next game for 1-1, then survived a long game — saving two break points — to hold for 2-1.

When a shaky game from Rybakina gave Sabalenka a break lead at 3-1, momentum had firmly shifted in Sabalenka’s favor. She saved another break point with an ace and would soon serve out the 48-minute set as the crowd settled in for a decider inside Stadium 1.

Sabalenka looked like the fresher, fitter player early in the third, and she made use of her positive energy, crafting a clever return game to break Rybakina for 2-1 from 40-0 down. It was a game that showed off all the recent additions to her arsenal: the nuance, the touch, the reactivity.

But every momentum shift came with an equal and opposite reaction in the 16th meeting between these two colossal rivals.

Fantastic finish

Rybakina, who spent the whole of the third set trailing, suddenly rallied in the 11th hour for a break to level at 5-5. Next came a could-have-been-defining moment: 11 minutes, six deuces, five break points saved and a 6-5 lead for Rybakina.

After a love hold from Sabalenka, a fitting conclusion: for just the third time in history, a women’s singles final went to a deciding tiebreak at Indian Wells.

It was no run-of-the-mill tiebreak.

Sabalenka, with her back against the wall, summoned her very best for last.

With Rybakina perched on the precipice of victory and serving at 6-5 in the breaker, the four-time Grand Slam champion valiantly rescued a match point, tattooing a return of a 121 mph serve before scorching a backhand crosscourt winner for 6-6.

Two points later, Sabalenka sealed victory with a service winner. As Rybakina’s return flew long, Sabalenka put her hands to her head and blew a kiss to the sky as the crowd jumped to its feet.

Heartbreak for Rybakina. Paradise in Tennis Paradise for Sabalenka.

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