Indian Wells: Aryna Sabalenka reaches finals for the third time in 4 years, will face Elena Rybakina

Aryna Sabalenka advances to the Indian Wells finals, set to face Elena Rybakina after defeating Linda Noskova in the semifinals.

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 on Friday (March 13, 2026).

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.