World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over qualifier Himeno Sakatsume. The win marked her 100th career match at the top ranking, improving her record to 82-18. Sabalenka showed no rust in her first tournament since the Australian Open final.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus launched her campaign for a first Indian Wells title on Friday with a straight-sets win over Japan's Himeno Sakatsume in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open. The top seed prevailed 6-4, 6-2 after 72 minutes, breaking Sakatsume's serve three times without facing a break point herself.
Sakatsume, ranked No. 136 and playing her first career match against a top-20 opponent, dropped serve in the opening game but steadied by saving four break points to hold in the fifth. She held to start the second set, but Sabalenka then won five straight games to close out the match. The victory was Sabalenka's 82nd in 100 matches as world No. 1, a ranking she first held in September 2023 and has maintained since October 2024.
"I'm really happy with the way I was serving, with the way I was putting her on the back foot," Sabalenka said afterward. She added, "I haven't played for a while after Australian Open, and happy with the performance today." This was her first event since finishing as runner-up to Elena Rybakina in Melbourne. Sabalenka, who lost Indian Wells finals to Rybakina in 2023 and Mirra Andreeva last year, wore her engagement ring from fiance Georgios Frangulis and joked, "I hope that my opponent will get distracted with this diamond and it's going to benefit me."
Sabalenka won 24 points with winners, including strong serves where she captured 80% of first-service points (28 of 35). Sakatsume notched 12 winners but could not counter the Belarusian's power. The Japanese player, in her 10th tour-level main draw match, had qualified by beating Alycia Parks in the first round.
Sabalenka will next face Jaqueline Cristian, who saved three match points against Maya Joint, for a spot in the round of 16. The tournament in Indian Wells, California, continues with other seeded players advancing amid a mix of dominant performances and upsets elsewhere.
