INDIAN WELLS, Calif.—Elena Rybakina fired seven aces in routing top-ranked Iga Swiatek 6–2, 6–2 on Friday to advance to the BNP Paribas Open final.
“I’m pretty sad that I lost,” Swiatek said.
Rybakina will play second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Maria Sakkari 6–2, 6–3, in Sunday’s final in the Southern California desert.
“It’s going to be huge,” said Sabalenka, who won the doubles title in 2019. “This tournament feels like a Grand Slam. I really want to hold this trophy as a singles champion.”
Rybakina needed just 76 minutes to finish off Swiatek, the defending champion. She won 82 percent of her first-serve points, while Swiatek only managed 42 percent. Rybakina also beat the Polish star at the Australian Open in January on her way to finishing runner-up….