Back at last after Melbourne
Aryna Sabalenka finally reappeared on Friday at Indian Wells. After losing the Australian Open final she went quiet, so there was a bit of question over when — or if — she’d be back.
But from the first rally in the California desert she shut that down. Facing Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume, a qualifier ranked 136, Sabalenka set the tone with pace and bite.
The match never really got away from her. Heavy from the baseline, brutal on serve, she wrapped it up 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour and still looked to have room to spare.
A machine already firing on all cylinders
Sakatsume tried to hang in and slow the match down, but the gap in power and experience showed fast.
Sabalenka rolled through her game with authority, leaning on a first serve that did the damage. The stat tells the story: 83% of points won on her first serve. Even better, the world No.1 never faced a break point.
Tennis fizz. Sabalenka’s cheeky little tweener. Easy.
— TennisTemple (@tennistemple) March 6, 2026
A solid, almost clinical display — a reminder why she’s running this tour right now.
She didn’t have to force anything; the engine was already revving.
Mission: back up last year’s final
A finalist here last year, Sabalenka knows how Indian Wells can catch the impatient. The desert bites those who rush.
For her opener she kept it simple: power, precision, steady focus. That recipe saw her through the first test with no drama.
In round three she’ll play the winner of Maya Joint vs Jacqueline Cristian.
If she keeps this level, it’s hard not to see her as one of the big favorites to lift the trophy in the California desert.
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