Tie-break paradise: Aryna, Jannik win BNP titles

INDIAN WELLS — They call this place Tennis Paradise. This weekend at the end of the BNP Paribas Open you could have called it Tiebreak Paradise.

Not that there is anything wrong going into overtime when they have the No. 1-ranked player in women’s tennis and No. 2-ranked in the men’s game. 

Aryana Sabalenka, who tops the WTA rankings, overcame her own distress and Elena Rybakina to win the women’s final Sunday, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6).

Then, a short while later, Jannik Sinner, 2nd in the ATP rankings, outlasted Daniil Medvedev, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) in the men’s final.

Yes, it was overwhelmingly hot at Indian Wells, down the road from Palm Springs. The temperature crested at 94F as the finalists sweated both figuratively and literally.

Hey, the thermometer is supposed to reach the six-digit level by Wednesday. But by then, none of the players who helped draw a total of 527,600 spectators for the tournament will be around, having gone on to Miami or other venues. 

“It was super-hot, I was dying there in the tiebreak,” said Sabalenka. 

However, she was living well enough to extend her overall record against Rybakina, No. 2 in the rankings, to 9-7.

“But what I’m happy with is that I was able to pull out great serves to get into the tiebreak,” said Sabalenka. “I also saw that she was not feeling her best. So I was trying to push myself basically to the limit. I’m super happy that in those last three points of the match, I was able to pull out really great tennis and get the win. 

Which is what the best players manage to do. Someone wondered how she had the strength to lift the winner’s trophy. She said, “I need the good picture. I’ve got to lift it up.”

Medvedev, a two-time BNP champion, said after the loss to Sinner, “It was a great tournament, great level of playing, but disappointed with the results. I played good enough to beat Carlos (Alcaraz) this year.”

Sinner produced big shots in the tie-break, which had the packed Stadium 1 crowd screaming.

“Today Sinner’s serve was phenomenal,” said Medvedev. “His serve was hard to read.”  

That’s one reason Sinner, the Italian, has won four Grand Slam tournaments, but this is his first victory here at Indian Wells.

Saturday, Sinner said about his status, “This is the first time in the final. Now we see what’s coming tomorrow.”

What came was a triumph of will and big serves. That combination will get you far. No matter how high the temperature, and as Sabalenka reminded us, it was very high and uncomfortable.