Ominous Sabalenka Makes Light Work Of Himeno Sakatsume In Indian Wells Opener

Last Updated:March 07, 2026, 09:26 IST

The 27-year-old Belarusian star breezed to a 6-4, 6-2 straight sets win over the Japanese qualifier to begin her campaign.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka began her quest for a first Indian Wells title with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 second-round win over Japanese qualifier Himeno Sakatsume on Friday.

Sabalenka and men’s world number two Jannik Sinner headlined the day’s play as seeded players entered the tournament after first-round byes.

Playing her first event since finishing as runner-up to Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open, Sabalenka displayed no signs of rust as she overpowered the 136th-ranked Sakatsume, who was playing her first match against a top-20 player.

“I’m really happy with the way I was serving, with the way I was putting her on the back foot," said Sabalenka, who has twice reached the Indian Wells final, losing to Rybakina in 2023 and Mirra Andreeva last year.

A nervous Sakatsume dropped her serve in the opening game but steadied after saving four break points to hold in the fifth game. However, she couldn’t match Sabalenka’s power, and the lone break was enough for Sabalenka to claim the first set.

After Sakatsume held serve to open the second set, Sabalenka won five consecutive games, closing out the match in 72 minutes without facing a break point.

“I haven’t played for a while after the Australian Open, so I’m happy with my performance today," said Sabalenka, who was supported by her Brazilian fiancé Georgios Frangulis. She noted that the ring he surprised her with was “very comfy" and she ensured it wouldn’t be lost during the match’s rigours. “I was pretty confident wearing this ring," she added with a laugh. “It feels comfy, it feels shiny. I hope my opponent gets distracted by this diamond and it benefits me."

Men’s fourth-seed Alexander Zverev also advanced to the third round, defeating Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-4 without facing a break point. It was an encouraging start for Zverev, who lost in his opening match last year and has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals at Indian Wells.

“I have struggled in Indian Wells before, but I feel different this year," he said.

Hungarian veteran Marton Fucsovics secured the week’s first major upset, eliminating fifth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-1. Musetti experienced another disappointment, playing his first tournament since retiring with a right leg injury while leading 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic by two sets in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Home favourites Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff fought their way into the third round. Eighth seed Shelton overcame illness to secure a 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 victory over fellow American Reilly Opelka. Despite trailing 4-5 in the second-set tiebreak, Opelka dropped two points on his serve, allowing Shelton to level and win the third set despite a hard fall in the final game.

Women’s fourth seed Gauff rallied from two breaks down in the second set to defeat qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 7-6 (7/5). Rakhimova, ranked 88th, served for the second set three times and wasted one set point. She led Gauff 5-4 in the tiebreaker before the American won the last three points.

“I felt like if I could get into the tiebreaker, I have a pretty good tiebreak record," Gauff said. “I knew the odds were in my favour when the tiebreaker started."

Italy’s Sinner opened the night session by beginning his bid for a first Indian Wells title against Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina. Sinner missed last year’s Indian Wells due to a suspension for a positive test for the banned steroid clostebol. He returned from the ban to win Wimbledon and the ATP Finals but fell to Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals and lost to Jakob Mensik in the Doha quarter-finals last month.

News sports tennis Ominous Sabalenka Makes Light Work Of Himeno Sakatsume In Indian Wells Opener

Read More