Indian Wells 2023: Sabalenka vs Rybakina Prediction, Odds & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Indian Wells final match featuring Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina on Sunday, March 19, 2023.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina Match Preview

The 2023 Indian Wells final will be a repeat of this year’s Australian Open final. World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka continues to blow her opponents off the court with her humongous power-packed game. But she faces a mirror-like opponent in terms of playing style in Elena Rybakina. Who will walk away with the second WTA 1000 title at the desert?

Aryna Sabalenka continues to dazzle at the 2023 Indian Wells. At this time last year, if you told me this will Sabalenka’s purple patch, having just won a major title and going for the Indian Wells crown in the space of two months, I would have found it hard to come to terms with it. To put simply, this rejuvenation has been simply staggering, and not even the most ardent fan of the Belarusian star saw it coming. The work rate, dedication, and discipline in getting Sabalenka’s game firing on all cylinders have been tremendous and she cannot stop winning. Her straight-sets dismissal of Maria Sakkari in the semifinal puts Sabalenka on the cusp of utopia. Can she defeat Elena Rybakina for the second time this year in a final?

Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, proved her Australian Open beatdown of Iga Swiatek was not a fluke. She mastered the Pole in their latest meeting at Indian Wells, by using her ever-improving all-court game to take the match out of Swiatek’s racket. Rybakina is one of the very few players with the ability to do so, and right from the off she looked imperious. This was an even better performance than Melbourne, although Swiatek admitted in her post-match press conference she had been dealing with a rib injury.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina Prediction and Pick

Aryna Sabalenka leads Elena Rybakina 4-0 in their head-to-head. It remains one of tennis’ unsolved mysteries how Rybakina has not managed to at least take one of their four meetings in the past couple of seasons. They didn’t get to play last year because of Sabalenka’s serving jitters with the Belarusian often falling before the business end of tournaments. The situation is a lot different and better this season, with Sabalenka’s transformation now complete. She has been very structured in her game plan and has produced her best start to a season since turning pro. Rybakina, for her part, oozes confidence. If she was going to bring her A game, she can beat any player, and she stood by those sentiments when quizzed in her post-match interview. Even though that head-to-head record is somewhat astounding, do not be fooled by the number. All four matches have gone the full distance including their AO final meeting earlier this year. Back the games spread for a safe bet with Rybakina getting her revenge for Melbourne.