Aryna Sabalenka praised Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko as a “future Grand Slam champion” after a hard-fought 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 victory at Indian Wells. The 19-year-old pushed Sabalenka in the first set, but the Belarusian dominated the tie-break and broke Mboko’s serve in the second set to secure the win.
Sabalenka, a two-time runner-up at Indian Wells, highlighted Mboko’s courage and aggressive style. “It’s incredible to see how brave these young players are,” Sabalenka said. “They fight for every shot, and we will definitely meet again on court.” She will face 14th seed Linda Noskova in the semi-finals, after the Czech defeated Australian qualifier Talia Gibson 6-2 4-6 6-2. Gibson, ranked 112, became the first qualifier in 11 years to reach the quarter-finals.
Swiatek Exits
Two-time Indian Wells champion Iga Swiatek was eliminated by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in three sets, 6-2 4-6 6-4. Svitolina capitalized on Swiatek’s double faults to take the opening set, and despite Swiatek forcing a decider, Svitolina broke serve once in the final set to reach her first semi-final at the tournament in seven years. Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina will meet her after defeating American Jessica Pegula 6-1 7-6 (7-4).
Zverev Joins Masters 1,000 Elite
Alexander Zverev secured a 6-2 6-3 win over Arthur Fils to reach the semi-finals, completing semi-final appearances at all nine ATP Masters 1,000 tournaments. The German becomes only the fifth player in history to achieve this, joining Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.
Zverev, who has won five Masters 1,000 titles but no Grand Slam, will face world number two Jannik Sinner, who beat Learner Tien 6-1 6-2 in just 66 minutes.
In the other semi-final, world number one Carlos Alcaraz will take on Daniil Medvedev. Alcaraz defeated Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4, while Medvedev ended Jack Draper’s title defense with a 6-1 7-5 win.
