Aryna Sabalenka rolls in semifinals, will play for Indian Wells title

Aryna Sabalenka is another step closer to further solidifying the running narrative that this era of women’s tennis starts with her.

On Friday at Indian Wells, Sabalenka flexed her dominance in a 6-3, 6-4 win over Linda Noskova in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals. Sabalenka will play either Elena Rybakina or Elina Svitolina in Sunday’s final. Sabalenka lost to Rybakina in the Australian Open final in January.

Sabalenka, 27, was never in any sort of danger on Friday. In the first set she went up a double break amid 90-degree temperatures, with the ball flying through the air. Then, early in the second set, she went up another break and never lost her serve to finish out the match on Stadium Court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Sabalenka saved a break point, up 4-3 in the second, and her kick serve was too much for Noskova to return with any sort of consistency.

The Belarusian tennis star finished the match with a whopping 11 aces. She appeared poised to reach her third Indian Wells final in four years.

A title here as eluded Sabalenka. She lost to Rybakina in the 2023 final and lost last year in the final to Mirra Andreeva. Having a chance to remedy that this year appears to be a driving force for Sabalenka this year at Indian Wells.

“The last couple finals I lost here,” she said. “So, I’ll make sure that I’m more than ready and that this is the year.”

The top-ranked player in the world and therefore the top seed here at Indian Wells, Sabalanka has won four Grand Slams and nine WTA 1000 titles. But her power is better suited for the faster courts, and Indian Wells is known for its slow courts that rewards patience and consistency.

This has been a memorable two weeks for Sabalenka. She and boyfriend Georgios Frangulis became engaged on March 3 and she’s worn a 12-carat diamond ring during her five matches at Indian Wells.

Winning an Indian Wells title would be not just cap an unforgettable two weeks for Sabalenka, but a powerful statement that she can win big titles on a variety of surfaces and that she is, without any sort of doubt, the player to beat in Miami and into the European swing.

Just five women in the Open Era have won all four big American tournaments: Miami, Cincinnati, the U.S, Open and Indian Wells. They are Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Kim Clijsters. Sabalenka will play to be the fifth on Sunday.

[This story has been updated to add new information.]

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Aryna Sabalenka rolls against Linda Noskova in semis at Indian Wells