Sinner, Sabalenka make dominant starts in quest for first Indian Wells titles

Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka begin Indian Wells campaign with a commanding victories

World number two Jannik Sinner overwhelmed Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina 6-1, 6-1 on Friday (March 6, 2026) to launch his bid for a first Indian Wells hardcourt crown.

Sinner, back in the California desert after missing last year’s edition serving a drugs suspension, controlled every aspect of the 64-minute contest in which he faced just one break point.

After Svrcina held serve for 1-1 in the first set, Sinner won nine straight games before Svrcina managed another hold. The Czech fought valiantly to force Sinner to serve it out, saving three match points in the final game before Sinner closed it with one more service break.

It was an auspicious start to a tournament in which the four-time Grand Slam champion’s best runs ended in semi-final defeats to Carlos Alcaraz.

This year he can’t meet top-seeded Alcaraz — or third-seeded five-time champion Novak Djokovic -- until the final.

“I feel mentally I’m in a good place,” said Sinner, who lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and was surprised by Jakub Mensik in the quarters at Doha last month.