Overview
- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-4 and No. 3 Elena Rybakina defeated Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-4 to book Sunday’s BNP Paribas Open final.
- Sabalenka extended a dominant season start to 15–1, her lone 2026 loss coming to Rybakina in January’s Australian Open final.
- Chasing a first Indian Wells crown after runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2025, Sabalenka fired 37 winners and 11 aces in the semifinal to reach her third final in four years.
- The rivalry tilts toward Rybakina in title matches, with the Kazakh winning four of the five finals between them, including the 2023 Indian Wells final, last year’s WTA Finals, and the 2026 Australian Open; Sabalenka leads the overall head-to-head 8–7.
- Rybakina is guaranteed to rise to world No. 2 next week and carries a 12-match winning streak against top-10 opponents, while Sabalenka vowed she is “so done” with losing big finals.