Reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina faces Marta Kostyuk in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Monday. After being pushed to three sets by Hailey Baptiste in the last round, Rybakina will hope to clinch a more straightforward win against Kostyuk. The Ukrainian will be full of confidence following her win over Taylor Townsend, though, and will look to spring an upset.
Marta Kostyuk vs Elena Rybakina Match Details
Date: March 9, 2026
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open 2026
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, USA
Surface: Outdoor hard
Category: WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN, TVA
Marta Kostyuk vs Elena Rybakina Head-to-Head
The head-to-head stands 3-1 in Rybakina’s favor going into this match. Kostyuk won the first meeting between the two players in 2023, but Rybakina has won the last three matches, allowing her opponent to win no more than two games in a set.
Rybakina has enjoyed a dream start to 2026 and enters this contest with a 13-3 win-loss record this year. She defeated Iga Świątek, Jessica Pegula, and Aryna Sabalenka en route to the Australian Open title, followed that up with a run to the quarterfinals in Doha, and then had to retire in Dubai.
MORE: Jessica Pegula vs Jeļena Ostapenko When and Where To Watch, Indian Wells 2026 Schedule
The 2023 Indian Wells champion arrived in the Southern California desert as one of the favorites to win the WTA 1000 title. She looked a little shaky in her opener against Baptiste amid strong winds but managed to execute and win the big points to secure her place in the third round.
Kostyuk enjoyed a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over Townsend in her opener at Indian Wells. The 23-year-old is more than capable of defeating the best players on the WTA Tour and has already beaten the likes of Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, and Pegula this year in Brisbane.
At the Australian Open, Kostyuk fell to a narrow defeat in the first round against Elsa Jacquemot. She has shown strong serving form and solid returning numbers early in the 2026 season, though.
Marta Kostyuk vs Elena Rybakina Prediction
Kostyuk is a versatile player who has already shown her great potential this year. She will be out to claim another big scalp on Monday.
Rybakina is also enjoying a strong run and appears to be on top of her game after a difficult period in 2024 and early 2025. She leads the WTA Tour in aces this year and has been winning a high percentage of her service points while converting a majority of her break-point opportunities.
We could see a much tighter contest between these two players than their last three meetings, but Rybakina’s excellent run of form should continue in this one. Make sure to predict all matches at the BNP Paribas Open with the help of the PFSN Simulator.
Pick: Rybakina to win in straight sets.
