Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has spoken ahead of Sunday’s Indian Wells Open final against Elena Rybakina, and she’s made no secret of how much she wants this one. The World No. 1 has had a brilliant season so far, but final losses have been a recurring theme and it has clearly affected her. She’s stopped being nice about it. This final means more than most.
Aryna Sabalenka has a pending score with Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open earlier this year and Sunday is a chance to settle the score. Sabalenka has lost four consecutive finals to Rybakina, including in this same 2023 tournament and in the WTA Finals. She leads her total of eight head-to-head wins in 15 matches since 2019, but when the biggest moments came, Rybakina came out on top.It’s not just about Rybakina, either. Sabalenka also lost back-to-back finals at the Australian Open and the 2025 French Open, where Coco Gauff beat her. There are many near misses to carry out a title fight.She didn’t hold back when asked about it. Simple and honest, Sabalenka said exactly what was on her mind. “I’m tired of losing these big finals. I felt that even though the players were playing incredible tennis in those finals, I had so many opportunities that I didn’t take advantage of. And right now my mentality, if I make it to the final, is that I will go out and do everything I can to get that trophy,” she said.Sabalenka’s form in Indian Wells has been impressive. She has not lost a set in the entire tournament, beating Himeno Sakatsume, Jaqueline Cristian, Naomi Osaka, Victoria Mboko and Linda Noskova to reach the final. She enters Sunday with a 16-1 record heading into 2026, with her only loss this year coming against Rybakina in Melbourne. Sabalenka is playing in her third Indian Wells final in four years, a streak that speaks to the consistency with which she has performed in this tournament. She’s also made history simply by getting here, becoming the first woman to reach consecutive Indian Wells finals as world No. 1 since the event was launched in 1989. For now, the stage is set and the trophy is what she’s after. Will this one win? Only time will tell.
