Indian Wells 2026 lived up to the tournament's nickname of being the fifth Grand Slam. The play was excellent and finished with two fantastic finals. Aryna Sabalenka overcame Elena Rybakina, and Jannik Sinner squeaked by Daniil Medvedev.
Some of those players are among our winners and losers from the tournament, but not Rybakina. She was good at Indian Wells, of course, but her year overall has been quite good, and she deserves a different mention.
In 2024 and most of 2025, her career appeared to be teetering toward ruin with off-court issues with her coach and a bunch of withdrawals and retirements. Now, she is back to being the WTA No. 2 and should be a real threat at Wimbledon and the US Open. It's good to have her back.
Winners and losers from Indian Wells 2026
Winner: Aryna Sabalenka
For the first time, the Belarusian took the trophy at Indian Wells. After battling Iga Swiatek for a couple of years for the top spot on the WTA tour, Sabalenka has begun to cement her grip on the ranking. Sure, Elena Rybakina can make things a bit tighter, but she also has to show she can do what Sabalenka is brilliant with: Consistency.
Sabalenka also proved once again that she has the mental stamina to withstand a player's best, and Rybakina was excellent in the first set, but did not give up and came back to get a victory. That is what champions do.
Loser: Jakub Mensik
Mensik has at times seemed to be one of the next great players, but he hasn't yet begun to get a real uptick in his results, except for the Miami Open in 2025. The Czech only made the third round at Indian Wells and, due to his Miami result last year, dropped 955 points in the latest rankings. He moved down 13 spots to 26 and will have to defend all of his points in the next Masters 1000, too.
Winner: Daniil Medvedev
The Russian has had a brutal run over the last year and didn't make it past the second round at any major in 2025. He made only the fourth round at the Australian Open. Something about Indian Wells, though, he loves. He hasn't won the event, but he's made the final in three of the last four years, including in 2026. Maybe he will get some confidence back for the rest of 2026.
Loser: Mirra Andreeva
Andreeva is a bit in the same boat as Mensik, only a bit more successful. She did start the year by winning the Adelaide International, but since then her results haven't been excellent. Even worse, she had a lot of points to defend from 2025 when she won in Dubai and Indian Wells. This year, she only reached the third round in Indian Wells, and isn't gaining momentum for the spring and summer.
Winner: Jannik Sinner
In 2025, the ATP No. 2 was suspended for three months and missed Indian Wells and the Miami Open. He gained a cool 1,000 points by winning Indian Wells, and he could do the same in Miami. He still trails Carlos Alcaraz by 2,150 points, but winning his first title of 2026 helps soothe that wound. He probably won't gain much in Miami, however. Alcaraz only made the second round in 2025.