Rybakina aces Swiatek scalp

Indian Wells, March 18

Elena Rybakina fired seven aces in routing top-ranked Iga Swiatek 6-2 6-2 to advance to the BNP Paribas Open final.

Rybakina will play second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Maria Sakkari 6-2 6-3, in tomorrow’s final in the Southern California desert.

“It’s going to be huge,” said Sabalenka, who won the doubles title in 2019. “This tournament feels like a Grand Slam. I really want to hold this trophy as a singles champion.”

The Pole did manage to avoid a bagel in the second set by saving a break point to hold before breaking to then further reduce the arrears, but Rybakina broke back immediately to extinguish the comeback and secure the win. Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion, improved to 17-1 this year. — Agencies