Elena Rybakina has started her Indian Wells run with a routine 6-3 6-3 victory over Suzan Lamens and that is the seventh consecutive win in the desert for the Kazakh tennis star.
After winning her first WTA 1000 title in Indian Wells two years ago but being unable to defend her title last year due to gastrointestinal illness, the 25-year-old officially returned to the desert today.
And while the No. 7 seed lost her serve in the very first game of the match, she quickly responded with breaks in the second and eighth games to overturn the deficit and clinch the first set.
After sealing the opener, Rybakina also took Lamens’ serve early in the second set before also claiming her fourth break of the match in the ninth game to complete her two-set win.
In the Indian Wells round-of-16, the 2022 Wimbledon champion will play against the winner of the match between No. 25 seed Katie Boulter and Irina Begu.
Rybakina thrilled to be back in Indian Wells
Following her opening win in the desert, the 25-year-old didn’t hide that she was excited to play again at the tournament after an unfortunate setback prevented her from competing last year.
“I’m just happy to be here. It was a pity to miss last year. Really excited and happy to be here. Thank you everyone for coming & supporting,” she said.
Rybakina after beating Lamens at Indian Wells
“Do you feel like you’re defending your 2023 title?”
Elena: “I’m just happy to be here. It was a pity to miss last year. Really excited and happy to be here. Thank you everyone for coming & supporting.” ❤️
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 7, 2025
Before coming to Indian Wells, Rybakina competed at the WTA 1000 tournaments in Doha and Dubai, where she made the quarterfinal and the semifinal, respectively.
It will be interesting to see if the Kazakh can put up a big run in the next week and lift her first title of the year in the desert.
Tennis World USA