The Indian Wells crowd with Naomi, but win was with Sabalenka

INDIAN WELLS — There was no question for whom the boisterous sell-out crowd wanted to win.

And it wasn’t Aryna Sabalenka, who of course did win. 

She’s ranked No. 1 in the world, and early Tuesday afternoon, she defeated, 6-2, 6-4, the young lady who not too long ago used to be No. 1, Naomi Osaka.

So, not unexpectedly, Sabalenka moved on to the round of 16 of the BNP Paribas Open. This wasn’t so much a changing of the guard in women’s tennis, since Osaka, although 28, has struggled of late because of injuries. Sabalenka, 27, has been at the top of the women’s rankings for a total of 70 weeks going back to 2006.

Female tennis stars often are beloved. Think of Chris Evert, to start.

Sabalenka never has fit that description. We’re told there were several reasons: Aryna is Russian, she grunts when hitting the ball, and for a while, she failed when in front of big events.  The latter difficulty has been corrected impressively. When Sabalenka won the Australian Open in February, it was her 4th Grand Slam.

But criticism be damned. Sabalenka not only has the championships, but as of 2 weeks ago, also has a 12-carat diamond engagement ring from her fiancé, Georgios Frangulis, a Brazilian businessman. Is it a surprise she wore it in her BNP matches, including her victory over Osaka?

“I’m super happy with the performance,” said Sabalenka.

Asked if being No. 1 was added pressure, Sabalenka, a woman who can be more outspoken with her racquet than her words, said, “Of course it’s pressure, but at the same time, that’s how I get better.” 

Osaka, despite the vocal support, didn’t have much of a chance against Sabalenka. Osaka seemed satisfied even in defeat.

“It was definitely really tough,” said Osaka. “But honestly, my biggest takeaway is that I had a lot of fun. I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to play in Stadium 1, and to play against the No. 1 player, it was really cool.”

Naomi did have an observation on Sabalenka’s vocal exhortations.

“She grunts the same way for every ball. I was, like, Oh, my God, she tricked me,” Osaka said with a smile.

Asked about some of the tactical aspects of her win, Aryna pointed out, “I tried to change the rhythm and make sure that the ball comes back on her side at different heights and speeds. So I think that was the key of the match.”

Sabalenka needs no tricks. She blasts away at every ball, frequently sending shots past stunned opponents. She next faces the Canadian Victoria Mboko in the Thursday quarterfinals. 

Sabalenka will have her engagement ring and, as always, her game.