Sabalenka, Sinner, Medvedev move to Indian Wells semifinals
sabalenka held off Victoria Mboko 7-6, 6-4 to reach the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open, keeping her bid for a first Indian Wells title alive. Published March 12, 2026 at 11: 52 PM ET, the quarterfinals in Indian Wells produced straight-set wins for several top seeds and a disputed replay that decided another match. The day in California tightened the draw and set up marquee semis across both tours.
Sabalenka edges Mboko in straight sets
The world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka withstood a fierce challenge from 10th-seeded Victoria Mboko, prevailing in two sets after a dominant first-set tiebreak where Sabalenka won every point. Sabalenka got a single break in the second set and closed out the match 7-6, 6-4, advancing without dropping a set in the tournament so far, the event noted. Mboko, the 19-year-old Canadian and 2025 Canadian Open champion, pushed the top seed and had several break opportunities, but could not convert when it mattered most.
Sabalenka will face 14th seed Linda Noskova in the semifinal; Noskova reached her spot with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win over Talia Gibson. Also moving into the late rounds were Elina Svitolina, who upset second-seeded Iga Swiatek 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, and Elena Rybakina, who beat Jessica Pegula 6-1, 7-6 and stands opposite Svitolina in Friday’s semifinal.
Immediate reactions
“That was a tough battle today, ” Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s top-ranked women’s tennis player, said after the match. “Happy with the level I played in those key moments in each set. ”
Victoria Mboko, the 19-year-old Canadian who has risen rapidly through the rankings, reflected on her ascent: “Everything came super fast, ” and added that reaching this stage and facing top players remains an exciting process for her.
On the men’s side, controversy colored Daniil Medvedev’s 6-1, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jack Draper. Draper signaled that a Medvedev forehand had landed long, and Medvedev requested a video review. Chair umpire Aurélie Tourte said Draper’s gesture was “something different than you would do normally, ” and awarded the point to Medvedev under the rules; the decision drew boos and swung the late momentum, producing a break that allowed Medvedev to serve out the match. Medvedev said he would have accepted whatever ruling Tourte made and that he requested the review because rules permit it, and added, “I don’t feel great. ” Draper told Medvedev that he “won the match fair and square, ” but questioned whether his gesture had sufficiently affected play to merit the review.
Quick context and what’s next
The quarterfinal results at the BNP Paribas Open left top seeds largely intact: Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka advanced in straight sets, and Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev moved into the men’s semifinals. Sinner served 10 aces in his 6-1, 6-2 win over Learner Tien and will meet Alexander Zverev in one men’s semifinal.
Friday’s schedule will decide the women’s finalists and set the men’s semifinal matchups that lead to Saturday’s headline clash between Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz; on the women’s side, sabalenka will try to convert a deep run into her first Indian Wells title as the tournament enters its final rounds.
