Rybakina, Alcaraz Win BNP Paribas Open
Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka, 7-6, 6-4, Sunday to win the BNP Paribas Open.It was the 23-year-old Rybakina’s first win in five career matches against the Belarusian Sabalenka, including a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Sabalenka victory in January’s Australian Open final.Rybakina, who was born in Russia and now represents Kazakhstan, is 10th on the Women’s Tennis Association singles rankings and has now won four WTA singles tournaments, including Wimbledon in 2022. Sabalenka, 24, was the tournament’s second seed and is the second ranked player on the tour, but she fell Sunday to the 10-seeded Rybakina.The women’s final was followed by the men’s final between Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Russian Daniil Medvedev. Alcaraz won decisively in two sets, 6-3, 6-2.The victory returns Alcaraz to the top of the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings, passing Serbian Novak Djokovic. He was ranked first from Sept. 12, 2022-Jan. 29. Medvedev was a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 winner over Alcaraz in the second round of Wimbledon in 2021, their only previous meeting. Alcaraz, the tournament’s top seed, beat 11th-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy, 7-6, 6-3, on Saturday.“I’m really happy with the