By Richard Pagliaro Thursday, March 12, 2026
Image source: BNP Paribas Open Facebook
Indian Wells—Alina Sabalenka The competition begins and sparkling prizes are awarded.
World number one Sabalenka took a major step towards lifting her first Indian Wells trophy today.
Two-time finalist Sabalenka didn’t drop a goal as she beat talented Canadian Victoria Mboko Reached the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open 7-6(0), 6-4. This is the fourth consecutive year the top seed has reached the semifinals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Sabalenka withstood Montreal champion M’Boko and 91-degree heat in Arena 1 to deliver another authoritative performance.
Sabalenka hit 61 percent of her serves and saved all five break points she faced to win her fourth consecutive straight-sets match against a strong opponent. Sabalenka returned to the Indian Wells semifinals only to lose serve once.
Later, Sabalenka hugged Mboko at the net and praised her as a future Grand Slam champion.
“Definitely a future star, a future Grand Slam champion – that’s for sure – without a doubt,” Sabalenka said of Mboko. “It’s unbelievable to see this young girl these days, how aggressive they are after shooting. It’s unbelievable.
“We will definitely play more games in the future. Even though there were some things that didn’t work, I’m happy with the win. I don’t think she fell apart, so I’m happy and certainly happy with the win.”
No. 10 seed Mboko earned three break points in a punishing third game that was 14 points off. Every time she faced pressure from a break point, Sabalenka responded authoritatively, eventually leading 2-1.
Sabalenka’s serve and forehand were key shots today. She challenged Mboko in a forehand exchange. While the Canadian had a great forehand, she was sometimes a little late trying to change direction on the baseline and paid the price in the first-set tiebreaker.
Mboko scored consecutive forehands and Sabalenka quickly led 4-0. Sabalenka’s backhand return pushed the score to 6-0 and sealed the victory on the first set point.
Sabalenka said her dominance in the decider hinged on point-by-point focus.
“I don’t really think about the record I have [in tiebreakers],” Sabalenka said. “I’m just trying to take it little by little, trying to stick to the game plan and be aggressive and then basically, yeah, take it one step at a time. “
In the fifth game of the second set, Mboko missed a long forehand run and faced a break point.
Sabalenka stepped forward to receive the serve and forced a backhand error on the backhand return, resulting in her first break of the day and a 3-2 lead in the second set.
“I had a lot of chances in the first set. And, I mean, unfortunately I couldn’t take those chances as much as I could have, but she played really well, especially at the pressure points,” Mboko said. “I have to give her credit.
“Yeah, I felt like sometimes I was a point or two away from changing the flow and the momentum of the first set. But yeah, it’s something I can do next time, yeah.”
Sabalenka used her hips and shoulders to hit a huge backhand crosscourt to lead 5-3 and seal her first match point.
The 27-year-old Belarusian announced her engagement to boyfriend Georgios Frangulis at the start of the tournament. Sabalenka wore an engagement stone on her ring finger and joked that the weight of the diamond ring gave her heavy forehand more power.
Sabalenka, who beat Mboko 6-1, 7-6(1) in the fourth round of the Australian Open before bowing out to Elena Rybakina in the three-set AO final, said she intends to collect more sparkle in the desert this weekend.
“I really think this tournament is the fifth Grand Slam, so I really want to get this trophy – a big trophy,” Sabalenka said. “[The ring] It’s just more weight on my forehand. “
As the owner of 22 singles titles, Sabalenka’s record this season improved to 15 wins and 1 loss. Sabalenka’s next match is the semifinals Czech 14th seed Linda Noskova or Australian qualifier Talia Gibson Compete for a spot in Sunday’s 11am final.
