"I will make sure it was the last one" - Aryna Sabalenka jokes about exacting revenge following defeat to Elena Rybakina at Indian Wells 2023
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina faced off in the final of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Sunday (March 19). It was their second finals clash of the season after the Australian Open, where Sabalenka won her maiden Grand Slam title.
In a closely contested Indian Wells final, Rybakina came out on top 7-6(11), 6-4 to win her first WTA 1000 title. With her victory, she will rise to a career-high ranking of World No. 7 on Monday.
Speaking during the trophy presentation, Rybakina congratulated Sabalenka on a great start to her 2023 season as well as her performances at Indian Wells. This caused Sabalenka to playfully stick her tongue out in the 23-year-old's direction, which was met with laughter from the crowd.
Rybakina then expressed her delight at finally winning a match against Sabalenka in her fifth attempt, which led to the latter joking that she would make sure it was the Kazakh's first and last win against her.
"I will make sure it was the last one," Sabalenka joked.
Sorry, Lena....@SabalenkaA has something to say...
#TennisParadise https://t.co/ZTA2KbQ0bj
Rybakina later admitted that she was unaware of Sabalenka's antics during the trophy presentation.
"I didn't see but its funny," she said in a post-match interview.
She also stated how the challenging battles with Sabalenka pushed both of them to improve and appreciated the competitive spirit they both brought to their matches.
"We're pushing each other to the highest level and yeah as you could see in the first set, it was mentally also not easy to just finish the set finally, either her or me. So yeah great battles together," she opined.
Sabalenka later took to social media and reacted to her on-court antics.
"Me," she commented with laughing emojis.
Aryna Sabalenka praises Elena Rybakina after Indian Wells final defeat
Aryna Sabalenka was very complimentary of Elena Rybakina following her Indian Wells final defeat to the Kazakh. She lauded Rybakina's exceptional level of play and credited her for a well-deserved victory.
"Yeah, it's a tough loss, but she played unbelievable tennis. I would say I didn't serve great today," she said. "But, yeah, it was another tough battle and this one goes to her. She deserve it, she's a great player. Hopefully next one I will do a little bit better."
Sabalenka will now set her sights on the Miami Open, where she will take on the winner of the clash between Shelby Rogers and Sloane Stephens in her opening match.