Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The icing on the cake? Elena Rybakina aspires to win her second consecutive WTA Finals in Indian Wells and put the finishing touch to an extraordinary year.

First modification: 07/11/2026 - 16:21

The Kazakh's 2026 began with the title at the Australian Open and reached its climax with her triumph at the US Open, which catapulted her to number one in the world.

Since reaching the top in September, Rybakina wants to once again prove to her archrival, Aryna Sabalenka, that she is the undisputed queen of women's tennis, after defeating the Belarusian in the finals of the two Grand Slam tournaments.

At 27 years old, the Moscow-born player is having the best season of her career and will arrive at the WTA Finals on Sunday as defending champion, one year after beating Sabalenka in the final in Riyadh.

The tournament, which brings together the eight best tennis players of the season, was to be held again in the Saudi capital, as it has been since 2024.

However, it was transferred to Indian Wells, about three hours by road from Los Angeles, due to the war between the United States and Iran, which caused the cancellation of several sporting events in the Middle East.

The eight best players of the year arrive at a stage they know well, as the women's circuit visits Indian Wells every March to compete in the WTA 1000.

"I am very happy to return to Indian Wells, I have many beautiful memories from here," said Aryna Sabalenka, current world number two, who won the Californian tournament at the beginning of the year after beating Rybakina.

"I have the feeling that it is a completely different tournament, with a different atmosphere and organization," Sabalenka said.

An air of revenge

"It's strange to be here, to sit and eat at the table reserved for the players and to have so much space (...). It's nice to be able to walk around the facilities and really enjoy them, something we normally can't do," commented Coco Gauff, world number four and Masters champion in 2024.

The American shares a group with Rybakina, her compatriot Jessica Pegula (fifth in the world) and the Czech Linda Noskova (eighth).

For her part, Sabalenka was paired with the world number three, the Russian Mirra Andreeva, the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (sixth) and the Czech Karolina Muchova (seventh).

Whatever happens, the Belarusian, winner of four Grand Slam titles, will not be able to regain first place in the rankings, since Rybakina is guaranteed to finish the year at the top of the WTA rankings.

However, she will seek to win her first WTA Finals, a title that has eluded her until now, despite having reached the finals in 2022 and 2025. To achieve this, she will try to "stop doubting so much and trust her instinct."

A possible rematch against Rybakina appears on the horizon, as long as the Kazakh arrives in top form: the world number one withdrew from the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo at the end of October due to a neck injury.

Starting on Sunday, each tennis player will face the other three members of their group. Each victory will award three points and the first two in each zone will advance to the semifinals, scheduled for November 14.

The final will be played on the 15th.

© 2026 AFP

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