1000 BNP Paribas Open BNP Paribas Open WTA
Sabalenka vs. Mboko: Match Preview, Start Time and Prediction
Mboko pushed Sabalenka in Melbourne and arrives at the BNP Paribas Open after a Doha final. Read on.
Start Time: TBD on Thursday, March 11 (check back for updates)
The rematch between Aryna Sabalenka and 19-year-old Victoria Mboko arrives with clear storyline: an established power player against an emerging counter-puncher who has learned quickly since their first meeting. In Melbourne, Sabalenka took control early, bullying Mboko through a 6-1 opening set, but the Canadian adjusted and pushed the second set to a tiebreak.
Mboko has carried that progress into the weeks that followed. In the two months since Australia she reached a 1000 final in Doha and climbed from No. 18 to No. 10. She says she can’t quite believe she’s in the Top 10 already, but she’s playing like she belongs. On Tuesday night she defended that form by dispatching Amanda Anisimova in two quick sets.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, showed sharp baseline command in her most recent match, overpowering Naomi Osaka in two impressive sets on Tuesday. Her ability to dictate from the backcourt and finish points remains the central challenge for Mboko.
Mboko’s strengths are clear: speed and counter-punching power that can trouble heavy hitters. Her willingness to adapt after the Australian Open and her run in Doha suggest she will not be intimidated. Still, Sabalenka’s combination of aggression and ball-striking typically forces opponents into errors and limits the time they have to impose their game.
This promises to be a competitive quarterfinal at the BNP Paribas Open, with Mboko likely to extend rallies and test Sabalenka’s patience. Ultimately, experience and the ability to close points favor the top seed. I’ll say it will take her another lesson from the WTA’s best before she’s ready to beat her. Winner: Sabalenka
All eight singles quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open take place Thursday, March 11.
1000 BNP Paribas Open BNP Paribas Open WTA
Victoria Mboko advances to Indian Wells quarterfinals with straight-set win over Amanda Anisimova
Mboko, 19, beat Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-1 on her Indian Wells debut and will face the world No. 1..
Victoria Mboko reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells on her tournament debut, defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-1 in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event. The 19-year-old moved through in convincing fashion and will face the world No. 1 next.
Mboko is the first Canadian woman to reach the last eight at Indian Wells since Bianca Andreescu captured the title in 2019. The result continues a significant run of form for the young player on high-level stages.
“I’m experiencing a lot of things for the first time,” Mboko said afterwards in her on-court interview. “To be out here playing Top 10 players, playing top of the world, it’s really a privilege. I’m so happy to be competing at the highest level.
“Just keep going.”
The 19-year-old, who is currently ranked No. 10, has now won her last three matches in a row against Top 10 players. She has also claimed 15 of her last 18 matches at WTA 1000 events, a run that began with her run to the title on home soil in Montreal last summer. That sequence has underlined Mboko’s ability to deliver at the biggest non-Grand Slam tournaments and sets a high bar for her upcoming encounter with the top-ranked player in the world.
On her debut at this event Mboko combined authority from the baseline with tactical clarity, closing out the match in straight sets and advancing to the quarterfinals on a significant weekend for her career. The next challenge will be a stern test against the world No. 1, a match that will further define her early progress in the 2026 season.
1000 ATP BNP Paribas Open
Lululemon expands its presence at the BNP Paribas Open with new apparel and tech
Lululemon’s BNP Paribas Open debut mixes player kits, ShowZero tech, expanded retail and pop-ups…
Lululemon’s first year as the official outfitter at the BNP Paribas Open has been visible on court and throughout the grounds. The Canadian-based brand, which signed Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe to multi-year apparel deals in the last four years, took on a broad role at the combined ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event after being announced in a multi-year agreement last November.
The company supplied more than 2,000 volunteers, ball kids and officials with uniforms, enlarged its merchandise section in the official tournament store and opened a standalone retail presence and pop-up experience anchored by the viral La La Land Kind Cafe. Lululemon branding has become a constant around the site in Indian Wells.
On court the outfitter also introduced new wearable technology. After wearing a Sierra Leone-inspired kit at the Australian Open in tribute to his parents’ birth country, Frances Tiafoe is wearing a berry-hued ensemble the brand calls “Burgundy Bay.” Lululemon says those clothes use a new ShowZero sweat-resistant technology and describes it as “an innovative yarn technology that changes how light interacts with the fabric, preventing light absorption when wet so sweat remains virtually invisible.” The company promotes the fabric as breathable, quick-drying and ultra-lightweight, engineered to support high-intensity performance.
Tiafoe spoke about his relationship with the brand after his victory over No. 15 seed Flavio Cobolli, a win that avenged Cobolli’s recent Acapulco final result. “It’s been great to be a part of it … all the things they have been doing with me,” he said. “They were super excited to have me and also grow with me and get more into the game.” He added that the outfitter’s presentation in Tennis Paradise is appealing: the “whole vibe” is “super cool and super trendy.”
On the retail side, Tiafoe noted the fan response: “Obviously you see it here, all the staff and everyone wearing it. My outfit is selling out, they said. The getup is great. All the outfits they have been making are super innovative. It’s just been really cool,” he said.
1000 ATP BNP Paribas Open
Djokovic recalls lighthearted golf outing with Alcaraz and Zverev at Indian Wells
Djokovic laughed about playing golf with Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev during Indian Wells…
Novak Djokovic said a recent off-day at Indian Wells offered an uncommon break from his on-court rivalries. He described a round of golf with Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev as relaxed and competitive in equal measure.
“It was my first time to play with those guys,” Djokovic explained of a golf outing with Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. “It was fun, a lot of laughter, a lot of mind games. But it was good.” He acknowledged the gap between his tennis and his golfing ability. “I don’t play as much as I used to,” Djokovic said, adding a wry observation about Alcaraz’s power. “I show up and the guy rips a 300-yard drive, par five, and he’s going for his eagle. I’m like, ‘Is there anything you’re not good at, man?’ What’s going on here, it’s like raw power. He loves his golf.
“It was nice to spend time with these guys. We’re all big rivals but it’s nice we get along well, can play other sports and spend some good time off the court.”
Djokovic reached the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open after a three-set victory over Aleksandar Kovacovic, an American with Serbian roots. He enters the next phase of the tournament as the No. 3 seed and will next face defending champion Jack Draper.
Away from the tour, Djokovic has taken in other winter sports following a February trip to watch the Winter Olympics in Milan. “We’re currently living in Athens, in Greece, and there’s not much ice there,” joked Djokovic, whose 8-year-old daughter Tara has expressed interest in figure skating. “I was really blown away by how inspired she was and by watching the great athletes on that rink live for the first time. It’s a beautiful sport to watch on TV, but in person, it’s incredible.”
On his preparation, Djokovic said he relies on technology and daily routines to maintain form and manage recovery. Though he joked the biggest gift would be “getting back the years,” he stressed the pragmatic demands of the draw. “I’m trying to manage my body, my mental state on a daily basis so I can be peaking as much as I possibly can. There’s a challenge, an obstacle across the net of who you get to play, and that’s not going to get easier from here. The opponents are only going to get tougher,” he said.
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