Rybakina beats Sabalenka to claim Indian Wells title
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina beat a misfiring Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(11) 6-4 on Sunday to claim the Indian Wells title and avenge her loss to the Belarusian in the Australian Open final.
Elena Rybakina Sport News
Rybakina beats Sabalenka to win Indian Wells WTA title
INDIAN WELLS, California: Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina edged Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (13/11), 6-4 on Sunday to win the Indian Wells WTA title and avenge her loss to the Belarusian in the Australian Open final. Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, the world number 10 who ousted top-ranked defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, followed up with her first victory over second-ranked Sabalenka in five career meetings. While Sabalenka had the edge from the baseline in a hard-fought battle, Rybakina’s fierce pressure saw the serve demons that beset Sabalenka last year resurface.
Medvedev beats Tiafoe to set up final match with Alcaraz at Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, California: Dialed-in Daniil Medvedev suppressed a late surge from Frances Tiafoe to beat the American 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) on Saturday and reach the Indian Wells final for the first time. Sixth-ranked Medvedev, coming off ATP titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai in the space of three weeks, pushed his win streak to 19 matches and awaits the winner of the other semifinal between top-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and 13th-ranked Italian Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz, 19, and 21-year-old Sinner are 2-2 in four prior meetings, but it was Alcaraz who came out on top in their most dramatic clash — a five-set US Open quarter-final that lasted five hours and 15 minutes, its 2:50 a.m.
Sergio Perez on pole for Red Bull in Saudi Arabia for 2nd year running
JEDDAH: Sergio Perez stepped up for Red Bull to ensure the team started from the pole at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a mechanical issue sidelined two-time defending world champion Max Verstappen. Verstappen was fastest in all three practice sessions at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit but his qualifying effort was cut short Saturday when he radioed “I have a problem. Engine, engine problem,” during the second session.
Libya’s boxers recover from Qaddafi-era knockout
TRIPOLI: Omar Zlitni holds a decades-old, black-and-white photo of himself as a boxer in his prime, posing in shorts and a training vest before Libya’s then-dictator, Muammar Qaddafi, banned his beloved sport. Boxing was “in his blood,” said the 63-year-old Tripoli resident who proudly keeps the image as his phone’s wallpaper. In 1979, he was just 19 when boxing, along with wrestling and other combat sports, was banned by Qaddafi, who considered such contests a threat to his personality cult. “We were a whole group. We were going to fight in Italy. And then, suddenly, they banned it. Why?” Zlitni said, with anger clouding his usually peaceful face. “There were friendships and love; boxing was everything,” he said, adding he regretted their way of life had been taken away and that “everyone went his own way.”
Indian Wells: Elena Rybakina stuns Iga Swiatek, will meet Aryna Sabalenka in final after Belarusian beats Maria Sakkari
Elena Rybakina is through to the Indian Wells final after a straight sets 6-2 6-2 victory over world No.1 Iga Swiatek. Wimbledon champion Rybakina put in another impressive performance against the defending champion Swiatek, requiring just one hour and 17 minutes to emerge victorious. Ad It is the second time Rybakina has got the better of Swiatek this season after beating her at the Australian Open, and the defeat ends the Pole’s dream of becoming the first woman to defend the title at Indian Wells since Martina Navratilova in 1991.
Rybakina says she reached highest level in rout of Swiatek
Elena Rybakina said she showed glimpses of her best form during her dominant win over world number one Iga Swiatek in the Indian Wells semi-final on Friday, adding she feels she can beat anyone by maintaining that level.