Sabalenka wins one-hundredth match played as world number one

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Himeno Sakatsume 6–4, 6–2 in her Indian Wells opener, which was her one-hundredth match as world number one. The seventy-one-minute victory improved her record while holding the top ranking to eighty-two wins and eighteen defeats.

Sabalenka broke in the opening game and added two more breaks in the second set. She struck twenty-four winners and won twenty-eight of thirty-five first-serve points, using power and placement to move the Japanese qualifier into difficult defensive positions.

Sakatsume was playing only her tenth tour main-draw match after beating Alycia Parks in the first round. Ranked 136th, she had been 270th a year earlier. Sabalenka advanced to face Jaqueline Cristian after returning from a break following the Australian Open.