In one of the best matches of the year so far, Aryna Sabalenka triumphed over Elena Rybakina in a third-set tiebreak to win the 2026 BNP Paribas Open. This was a rematch of the pair’s Australian Open summit clash, which the Kazakh won. After her loss, the new World No. 2 spoke about the heat and how it affected the title match.
Elena Rybakina Talks About the Heat After Her Loss to Aryna Sabalenka
Rybakina did admit that she faced certain challenges during her return games against Sabalenka’s serve in her press conference. She commended her opponent’s serve, confessing that it was not easy to identify any set patterns as the Belarusian varied her serve well. However, she noted that she struggled to maintain a consistent energy level throughout the match due to the heat.
“I think I was battling more with myself and with the sun and the energy level (smiling). But definitely her serve is not easy to return, if it’s first serve or she’s going with a kick.
But in these matches, you need to have energy, you need to move well because she plays fast also,” said Rybakina.
While discussing the heat and fluctuating energy levels, Rybakina admitted the conditions got to her in the second set after she had started the match strongly. She confessed that even a small cooling-off period after the first set was also not enough, as she could not push herself to the limit during the second set.
However, she admitted that both players were struggling in the third set and that the result would depend on who could make a final push.
“I think the sun was pretty strong, and I would say that it hit me in the second set quite a lot. I really couldn’t push much. I was trying to give myself time. I went also after first set, because I needed some cool air. Honestly, I think the first set I played really well, and I was much more with the energy. Second set, big drop. Then in the third, I think for both of us was quite difficult. We had just to push and do as maximum as we could,” Rybakina added.
One could see the merit in Rybakina’s arguments, as the third seed started confidently in the first set. She got a break in the sixth game and closed the set out on her serve, without facing a single break point in the set.
In the second set, she broke Sabalenka in the very first game, but that is when the top seed turned the tide, winning the next four games to go 4-1 up, and eventually won the set 6-3.
The final set was a battle of high-intensity tennis, where Sabalenka took a 3-1 lead and had a chance to serve it out at 5-4. However, just like the Australian Open final, the Kazakh stormed back, taking the set to a tiebreak. At 6-5, she had a match point, but the World No. 1 showed her mettle to win the next three points, clinching the match.
Rybakina will be in action at the Miami Open next, where she will open her campaign against either Yulia Putintseva or Janice Tjen.
