Sabalenka, Rybakina, Swiatek, Gauff? Martina Navratilova predicts Indian Wells winner

Ewan West 02 Mar 2026 12:47 PM

Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka with Martina Navratilova inset

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has named Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina as the two “clear frontrunners” as she predicted who will win the 2026 Indian Wells Open.

Rybakina and Sabalenka faced off in the Australian Open championship match in January, with the former prevailing in three sets.

Sabalenka has not played since her defeat at the Melbourne Grand Slam, having pulled out of the WTA 1000 events in Doha and Dubai in February.

Rybakina withdrew from the WTA 500 in Abu Dhabi before reaching the quarter-finals in Doha and the third round in Dubai — where she retired mid-match.

In the WTA Rankings, Sabalenka is the world No 1 with 10,675 points, ahead of No 2 Iga Swiatek on 7,588 points and third-ranked Rybakina on 7,253 points.

In an interview with the WTA website, Navratilova identified Rybakina’s return to action as the biggest headline ahead of Indian Wells.

“The biggest one is that Rybakina is back,” said the 18-time major singles champion. “Winning the Australian Open, she played the best tennis when it mattered most. She was holding her nerves better than Sabalenka in the final and won in three.

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“She was ill after Australia, which happens a lot. It’s normal to get sick after a major. More often than not, I got sick after Wimbledon and the US Open because the body just goes.

“After skipping Abu Dhabi, I’m hoping her immune system is okay. She won three matches in Doha and Abu Dhabi, so let’s see how she’s feeling in the desert.”

The former world No 1 was asked who will win the women’s singles event in Indian Wells.

“You still have to go with Sabalenka because she’s got the weapons,” said the Czech-American.

“Right now, the way everything is going, if Rybakina is fully healthy, they are the top two players, clear frontrunners.

“They might come close to the level of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz if they keep going this way unless Coco [Gauff] figures things out and Swiatek gets her mojo back.

“I think she (Sabalenka) will be out for revenge. Knowing her, Sabalenka is hoping she’s going to play Rybakina at some point.”

Rybakina won the Indian Wells title in 2023, while Sabalenka was a runner-up in 2023 and 2025.