Elena Rybakina started the 2025 Indian Wells Open victoriously, beating Suzan Lamens in two straightforward sets.
Rybakina last competed in Indian Wells back in 2023. That year, she beat some of the best players in the world to win her maiden WTA 1000 title. The Kazakhstani player bested Sofia Kenin, Paula Badosa, Varvara Gracheva, Karolina Muchova, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka.
There aren't many more impressive runs to the title, as she started with a former Grand Slam champion, continued against a former World No. 2 player, and beat two other Grand Slam champions and one more then-future major finalist.
On her way to the title, Rybakina recorded six consecutive wins, but she wasn't able to defend her title in 2024. Last year, she withdrew from the tournament because of an illness.
This year, Rybakina is back, and she started really well against the World No. 64 Suzan Lamens. The Dutch player broke through only recently, which is why she doesn't have a lot of experience on the WTA 1000 level. In fact, she played at the Indian Wells Open for the first time this year.
Lamens started her campaign well, beating Marie Bouzkova in the first round, but Rybakina was too strong for her. But it didn't seem like that early on in this match.
Lamens was actually the first player to break, even though her opponent had a 40-15 lead in the first game of the match. But despite having a game point to make it 2-0, the Dutch player immediately lost the lead.
From that point, Rybakina was the better player. The 2023 champion held her serve easily, and she was able to break Lamens' serve one more time to win the first set of the match 6-3.
The former Wimbledon champion then started with a break in the second set and controlled the proceedings from there. Despite a rocky start, it was a comfortable cruise for Rybakina.
She won the match 6-3, 6-3, in an hour and 26 minutes to secure a spot in the third round of the tournament. Her next opponent will be the winner of the match between the 25th-seeded Katie Boulter and Irina-Camelia Begu.
Speaking to the crowd at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden after the match, Rybakina remembered her last year's absence.
"I'm just happy to be here. It was a pity to miss last year. I'm really excited and happy to be here. Thank you everyone for coming and supporting."
She will be one of the top favorites to win the title in Indian Wells also this year. The other three contenders for the title will be Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff, who are the top three seeds in the Californian desert.
