Rybakina recovers twice to defeat Kostyuk at Indian Wells

Elena Rybakina defeated Marta Kostyuk 6–4, 6–4 to reach the Indian Wells fourth round. The eighty-seven-minute third-round match required the Kazakh player to recover from service breaks in both sets, improving her professional head-to-head record against the Ukrainian to 4–1.

Kostyuk broke for 2–1 in the opener, but Rybakina answered immediately and then broke again as her opponent served at 4–5. The second set became more complicated when Kostyuk took a 3–1 lead after an exchange of early breaks.

Rybakina levelled at 4–4, held and once again broke in the closing game to secure victory. The 2023 tournament champion advanced to a first meeting with Sonay Kartal, who had upset Madison Keys, while pursuing a first Indian Wells quarterfinal since her title run.