Aryna Sabalenka has had quite the week so far in Tennis Paradise. From getting a new puppy, Ash, to celebrating her engagement to longtime boyfriend Georgios Frangulis, the only thing that could make the trip to Indian Wells even more memorable is a deep run at the BNP Paribas Open.
Indian Wells: Scores | Draws | Order of play
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka opened her campaign at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open with a 6-4, 6-2 win over qualifier Himeno Sakatsume, advancing comfortably into the third round.
The victory came in Sabalenka’s 100th career match as the top-ranked player on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. She will next face Jaqueline Cristian, who saved three match points against Maya Joint, for a place in the Round of 16.
“Super happy with the level I played,” Sabalenka said to press. “Super happy to get this win. I haven’t played for a while after Australian Open, and happy with the performance today.”
By the numbers, here’s are the top storylines behind Sabalenka’s opening match at Indian Wells:
3: The difference in Friday’s match were Sabalenka’s three breaks of Sakatsume’s serve. After Sakatsume won the coin toss electing to serve, Sabalenka broke the opening before the two traded holds the rest of the first set. In the second set, Sabalenka added two more breaks to close out the match.
10: Friday’s match marked Sakatsume’s 10th career tour-level main draw match, following her win over Alycia Parks in the first round. The Japan native made her tour-level debut at the WTA 250 in Granby, Canada, in 2022.
24: Sabalenka’s power really shined, especially on her serve. Because of Sakatsume’s short stature, Sabalenka took advantage of her wing span, often forcing Sakatsume side-to-side.
The tactic created space for some of her 24 winners. Sakatsume also notched 12 winners of her own, including several at the net, creating a tricky test for the top-seeded Sabalenka.
28: Sabalenka won 80% of her first service points (28-of-35), landing nearly 78% of her first serves in play.
71: In the straight-sets win, Sabalenka needed 1 hour and 11 minutes to secure the victory.
82: Sabalenka improved her record to 82-18 as World No. 1. She first acquired the top ranking in September 2023 for eight weeks, before reclaiming it in October 2024 — she’s held the top ranking since.
135: In the PIF WTA Rankings, Sakatsume sits 135 places behind Sabalenka at No. 136. This time last year, she was ranked No. 270, playing a W75 in Trnava, Slovakia.
