Indian Wells: Aryna Sabalenka defeats Maria Sakkari in semifinal clash to reach first final
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World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka has another final berth after defeating Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-2 in their semifinal clash to advance to her first Indian Wells final.
Unstoppable Aryna 💪@SabalenkaA improves to 17-1 on the season to reach a first Indian Wells final defeating Sakkari 6-2, 6-3.#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/GGk5GibZQX
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 18, 2023
Sabalenka is now 17-1 this year, with her only loss to Barbora Krejcikova at the Dubai Open. She is into her third final of the season and snaps a three-match losing streak in the WTA-1000 semifinals to make her first WTA-1000 final since winning Madrid 2021.
Stats of Sabalenka's cruising victory over Sakkari (via Opta Ace)
1 - Since 2018, when Sabalenka won her first match against a top-10 (Karolina Pliskova in Eastbourne), she is the player with the most top-10 wins: 24, surpassing Maria Sakkari (23).
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2 - She has already reached three finals in 2023 (Adelaide, Australian Open, and Indian Wells): as many as in the entire 2022 season.
Sabalenka and Rybakina will play in the final in a repeat of the Australian Open final. Rybakina defeated world No.1 Iga Swiatek in astonishing style and will aim for revenge against Sabalenka on Sunday.
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