Aryna Sabalenka Advances to Semifinals
Aryna Sabalenka has been a prominent player on the WTA Tour, achieving significant milestones in her career. On March 12, 2026, she faced Victoria Mboko in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open, where she delivered a strong performance to win the match with a score of 7-6(0), 6-4.
This victory marks Sabalenka’s third career semifinal appearance at the BNP Paribas Open. Throughout the match, she demonstrated resilience by saving all five break points she faced, showcasing her ability to perform under pressure.
Sabalenka’s success in this tournament is part of a broader trend, as she has now reached six consecutive semifinals on the WTA Tour. Notably, she has been a runner-up at Indian Wells twice, in 2023 and 2025, further solidifying her status as a top competitor.
In the match against Mboko, Sabalenka achieved a significant milestone by winning a tiebreak 7-0, marking the first time she has accomplished this at the tour level. Her performance in tiebreaks has been exceptional, as she holds a 4-0 record in tiebreaks for the year 2026 and set an Open Era record in 2025 with a 22-3 tiebreak record.
Victoria Mboko, despite her loss, showed promise as a young player, committing eight double faults but managing to save seven out of eight break points she faced. Sabalenka praised her opponent, calling her a future Grand Slam champion, highlighting the potential she sees in the younger players on tour.
Looking ahead, Sabalenka’s next challenge will be against No. 14 seed Linda Noskova in the semifinals. Observers are keen to see if she can continue her strong performance and advance to the finals once again.
As Sabalenka prepares for her upcoming match, she reflected on her approach to tiebreaks, stating, “I feel like the moment (when) I will feel relaxed, I will definitely start losing. So I felt that’s why I have been really successful in those tiebreaks, because I take it really serious.” This mindset has contributed to her success on the court.
With her current form and determination, Aryna Sabalenka remains a formidable contender in the tournament, and fans are eager to see how far she can go in the BNP Paribas Open.
