Elena Rybakina cruises into Indian Wells quarterfinals
Kazakhstan’s top-ranked tennis player, world No. 3 Elena Rybakina, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open (USA), Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Sports.kz.
In the Round of 16 on Tuesday, Elena Rybakina faced the UK's Sonay Kartal (ranked 54th). After Rybakina took the first set 6-4 and led 4-3 in the second, Kartal was forced to retire from the match. The victory moves the Kazakhstani tennis player into the final eight, while her opponent’s run in the tournament comes to an early end.
Rybakina’s path to the quarterfinals included a hard-fought win over American Hailey Baptiste (world No.43) with a score of 7-6, 2-6, 6-2, followed by a straight-sets victory against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk (No. 28), 6-4, 6-4.
This year’s Indian Wells Open features a total prize pool of $9,415,725. The champion will take home $1,511,380 and earn 1,000 WTA ranking points.
Recall that Elena Rybakina is the reigning 2026 Australian Open champion, having recently defeated Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka (world No.1) in the Melbourne final.