Italy’s Jannik Sinner capped a flawless run in the California desert on Sunday, edging Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) to capture his first title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, while world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka survived a gripping final against Elena Rybakina to finally claim the women’s crown.
Sinner’s victory came in dramatic fashion. The Italian star trailed 4-0 in the second-set tiebreak before rattling off seven consecutive points, sealing the match in one hour and 55 minutes and completing the tournament without dropping a single set.
Ranked No. 2 in the world, Sinner continued his recent dominance over Medvedev, beating the Russian for the ninth time in their last 10 meetings. The win also secured the 2026 season’s first title for the four-time Grand Slam champion.
The final offered little room for error. Neither player dropped serve, forcing both sets into tiebreaks in a contest defined by precise serving and razor-thin margins.
Sinner was nearly untouchable behind his first serve, winning 43 of the 47 points when it landed in play. He also did not face a single break point.
Medvedev’s best chance arrived late in the opening-set tiebreak when he led 5-4. But the Russian misjudged a ball he allowed to pass, which clipped the line. Moments later, Sinner blasted a forehand to earn another set point and closed the opener with a thunderous service winner.
The second set seemed headed for a decider when Medvedev surged to a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak, helped by Sinner’s double fault. Instead, the Italian flipped the script, attacking aggressively and reeling off seven straight points to finish the match in stunning fashion.
“I kept believing and kept pushing,” Sinner said. “I tried to go for my shots more. If it went to a third set we would start from zero again, so I wanted to close it out.”
The triumph places Sinner alongside Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only players to win all six of the ATP’s hard-court Masters 1000 tournaments.
Medvedev entered the final in strong form after winning the title in Dubai and riding a nine-match winning streak. His biggest statement came in the semifinal, where he stunned world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and snapped the Spaniard’s 16-match winning streak to begin the season.
Still, the Russian was left with mixed emotions.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Medvedev said. “It felt amazing to beat Carlos, but there is a final to play. Jannik was serving phenomenal today. It was super tough on the return.”
Despite the loss, Medvedev’s deep run signals a strong return to form after a disappointing 2025 season and will lift him back into the ATP top 10.
Sinner, meanwhile, quickly turned his focus to the next stop on the calendar, the Miami Open, the second leg of the “Sunshine Double.”
“There is not much time between here and Miami,” he said. “But we try to bring the best tennis there as well.”
The victory also carried a touch of national pride. Earlier in the day, young Italian driver Kimi Antonelli captured the Chinese Grand Prix, prompting Sinner to salute his compatriot.
“It’s been a special day for Italy,” Sinner said. “I’m a huge Formula One fan and seeing such a young Italian bring the country back to the top is amazing.”
On the women’s side, Sabalenka ended years of frustration in the desert with a gritty 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory over Rybakina in a dramatic final played under searing heat.
Temperatures soared into the 90s as the two big-hitting rivals battled for nearly three hours in one of the tournament’s most dramatic women’s finals.
Sabalenka had come painfully close before, finishing runner-up in 2023 and again in 2025. This time, she finally crossed the finish line.
“I’ll remember this for the rest of my life,” Sabalenka said.
The Belarusian had to dig deep to do it. Rybakina controlled the first set, breaking for a 4-2 lead and sealing it with relentless serving and aggressive groundstrokes.
Sabalenka responded in the second, turning the momentum by winning four consecutive games after falling behind early. The match then built toward a tense deciding set.
At 5-4, Sabalenka appeared ready to serve for the championship but was broken, pushing the contest into a decisive tiebreak.
Rybakina even earned a championship point at 6-5, only for Sabalenka to erase it with a stunning backhand winner. The top seed then captured the final two points, finishing with a booming serve that forced Rybakina’s return long.
“The whole idea was to stay mentally strong,” Sabalenka said. “No matter what happened, I wanted to show that I was fighting.”
The win also flipped the momentum in a rivalry that had haunted Sabalenka. Rybakina had won four straight finals between them, including the Indian Wells title clash in 2023 and another thriller at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Their latest meeting marked the 16th chapter of the rivalry, with Sabalenka now holding a 9-7 edge.
“It was a very difficult match,” Rybakina said afterward. “Congratulations to Aryna.”
Sabalenka’s celebrations were expected to be brief. The world No. 1 boarded a flight Sunday night for Miami, where she arrives as the defending champion.
“Maybe a couple drinks on the plane,” she joked. “Then it’s back to work. I’m defending champion there.”
