Aryna Sabalenka lifted the Baccarat trophy at the BNP Paribas Open in her third final, defeating Elena Rybakina 3-6 6-3 7-6(6). In a topsy-turvy match fought out under unrelenting sun, the world No. 1 saved 6 of 9 break points, her opponent 5 of 8. At any given moment, the nail-biter match felt like it could go either way. In the third set, the top seed surged to a 5-3 lead, but couldn’t hold on and proceeded to drop the next three games.
In the third set tiebreak, Rybakina, the new world No.