Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will meet in the Indian Wells final after both came through their semi-finals on Friday in convincing fashion.
Sabalenka dispatched 14th ranked Czech Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-4 in a commanding display, firing 37 winners and 11 aces throughout the match. The Belarusian was dominant from the baseline and rarely looked troubled, despite a brief wobble when serving out the first set.
“I think I really played great tennis,” Sabalenka said afterwards. “I was serving well. I was playing well. I like the way I put her under pressure on her serve.”
Rybakina, meanwhile, proved too strong for Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, winning 7-5, 6-4 in a match that was tighter than the scoreline suggests. Svitolina, who had beaten two-time champion Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals, fought back bravely but Rybakina held firm to claim her 12th straight victory over top-ten opponents.
The final is a rematch of their Australian Open final earlier this year, which Rybakina won to claim her second Grand Slam title. Rybakina also beat Sabalenka in the 2023 Indian Wells final, and leads their recent head to head despite trailing 8-7 overall in their career meetings.
Sabalenka will be looking to go one better having fallen short in two previous Indian Wells finals.
