Aryna Sabalenka has enjoyed a superb start to the 2026 season, but she could still be disappointed given her very high standards.
Sabalenka boasts a fantastic 11-1 record, having decided to take on only the Brisbane International and the Australian Open.
The WTA number one clinched her 22nd career title at the former tournament, before losing to Elena Rybakina in the final of the latter.
Sabalenka now turns her attention to the Sunshine Swing, beginning with Indian Wells, where she should be confident of success for three key reasons.
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Aryna Sabalenka should be well rested for Indian Wells
First and foremost, Sabalenka should be feeling very refreshed at this moment given her lack of recent action.
She decided to skip the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships, with many of her rivals having opted to play in the back-to-back WTA 1000 events.
Given the very busy schedule, it looks to have been a smart decision from the Belarusian, who should be well rested and recovered from her time in Australia by now.
Indian Wells and Miami Open surfaces favor Aryna Sabalenka
As evidenced by her back-to-back finals in Brisbane and Melbourne, Sabalenka is clearly at home on hard courts.
Moreover, all four of her Grand Slam titles have arrived on hard courts, along with seven of her eight Grand Slam finals.
Given that Indian Wells and the Miami Open – which she won in 2025 – are both played on that surface, at least one Sabalenka title looks like a very strong possibility.
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 2023 | Australian Open | Hard | Elena Rybakina | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 2023 | US Open | Hard | Coco Gauff | 6–2, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 2024 | Australian Open | Hard | Zheng Qinwen | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 2024 | US Open | Hard | Jessica Pegula | 7–5, 7–5 |
| Loss | 2025 | Australian Open | Hard | Madison Keys | 3–6, 6–2, 5–7 |
| Loss | 2025 | French Open | Clay | Coco Gauff | 7–6(7–5), 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2025 | US Open | Hard | Amanda Anisimova | 6–3, 7–6(7–3) |
| Loss | 2026 | Australian Open | Hard | Elena Rybakina | 4–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
Aryna Sabalenka has been lethal with her serve in 2026
Elena Rybakina has arguably been the most lethal server on the WTA Tour in 2026, with her 110 aces well ahead of every other player.
But for players who have played more than one match this season, it is Sabalenka who tops the pile for both service points won % and service games won %.
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She boasts figures of 66.9% and 86.2% respectively from her 13 matches, with that fantastic area of her game certain to boost her chances of success in California and Miami.
There are indeed plenty of other factors working in Sabalenka’s favor right now, including that blistering start to 2026.
But she’s also the top seed at Indian Wells and the current world number one, which again are only positives as she seeks her second title of 2026.
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