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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Sabalenka reaches Indian Wells final for 3rd time in 4 years, battles Rybakina

Sabalenka reaches Indian Wells final for 3rd time in 4 years, battles Rybakina

Published Mar 14, 2026 12:42 pm

At A Glance

  • INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time runner-up at Indian Wells, will get another shot at winning the event after beating Linda Noskova, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals Friday, March 13.
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot against Linda Noskova, of the Czech Republic, during a semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot against Linda Noskova, of the Czech Republic, during a semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Friday, March 13, 2026, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time runner-up at Indian Wells, will get another shot at winning the event after beating Linda Noskova, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals Friday, March 13.
The top-ranked Sabalenka, from Belarus, dispatched Noskova in 1 hour, 28 minutes on Stadium Court 1 at the BNP Paribas Open.
She will face third-ranked Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the final Sunday. Rybakina handled ninth-ranked Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 7-5, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
Sabalenka's only loss in 2026 came against Rybakina in the Australian Open final. Sabalenka surely will be looking to avenge that one as well as her 0-2 record in Indian Wells finales.
“I’ll make sure that I’m more than ready on Sunday, and I’ll bring my best tennis, make sure that this is the year," Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka improved to 12-1 in 2026 with her victory Friday, which came after she reached the semifinals for the sixth consecutive WTA Tour event. Her last loss before that round came against Rybakina in the Cincinnati quarterfinals last August.
Sabalenka connected on 38 of 58 first serves against the 14th-seeded Noskova and notched 11 aces to reach the finale for the third time in four years.
“I would say that, yeah, serve was the biggest thing in this match," she said. "I was trying to stay focused on my serve and try to put as much as pressure as I could on her serve. And, lucky me, I got this win.”
Sabalenka has won 8 of 15 meetings against Rybakina, with two of those losses coming in their last two matchups. Rybakina won 78% percent of her first serves against Svitolina, who double faulted eight times in their semifinal.
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