Sinner clinches first Indian Wells title; Sabalenka wins women's crown

California [US], March 16 (ANI): Italy's Jannik Sinner captured his maiden Indian Wells title after edging past Daniil Medvedev in a gripping men's singles final, while world number one Aryna Sabalenka clinched the women's crown following a dramatic comeback victory over Elena Rybakina at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open.

In the men's singles final, Sinner defeated Medvedev 7-6(8-6), 7-6(7-4) in a tightly contested match that featured high-quality baseline rallies and powerful serving from both players. The Italian held his nerve in both tie-breaks to seal the victory and lift his first Indian Wells trophy.

Sinner produced an impressive display throughout the tournament, not dropping a single set en route to the title. With his victory against Daniil Medvedev in the BNP Paribas Open final Sunday, Sinner has now won all 'Big Titles' at hard-court events: six ATP Masters 1000 events, the Nitto ATP Finals, the Australian Open and the US Open. Only Federer and Djokovic have done the same.

Sinner lifted his first Masters 1000 trophy in 2023 in Toronto and has earned the rest of the hard-court trophies at the elite level in less than three years since.

Earlier, the women's singles final delivered a thrilling encounter as Sabalenka fought back to beat Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(8-6) in a dramatic three-set battle. The Belarusian rallied after losing the opening set and eventually prevailed in a tense final-set tie-break, saving a championship point along the way to claim the title.

The victory marked Sabalenka's first Indian Wells title after losing two previous finals at the tournament. It also added another prestigious trophy to her growing list of achievements on the WTA Tour.

Rybakina, who had previously beaten Sabalenka in the 2023 Indian Wells final, pushed the world number one to the limit with her powerful groundstrokes and aggressive play, but ultimately fell short in one of the most dramatic finals of the season. (ANI)

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