Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina contested an instant classic in the Indian Wells final on Sunday night, and could be set to meet again at the upcoming Miami Open.<\/p>\n
World No 1 Sabalenka saved a championship point to beat Rybakina in a thrilling three-set battle in Tennis Paradise<\/a>, and could face the Kazakh in the semi-final of her title defence in Miami.<\/p>\n World No 3 Rybakina will rise to a new high of second in the WTA Rankings on Monday<\/a>, but with the draw for the WTA 1000 event revealed on Sunday, she remains the third seed and sits in the top half of the draw alongside Sabalenka<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sabalenka is projected to face 29th seed Wang Xinyu in round three and could then face 15th seed Madison Keys in round four, before a projected quarter-final against seventh seed Jasmine Paolini<\/a> \u2014 the player she beat in the semi-final twelve months ago.<\/p>\n Seventh seed Paolini has been out of form so far this year and faces a tough draw in Miami, with a potential third-round against 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko, and a fourth-round versus ninth seed Elina Svitolina<\/a>, one of the in-form players of the year.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Rybakina<\/a> could face a quarter-final against fifth seed and 2025 Miami runner-up Jessica Pegula<\/a>, whom she beat in the Australian Open semi-final and Indian Wells quarter-final.<\/p>\n Twice a finalist in Miami, the Kazakh could face 27th seed Marta Kostyuk in round three before a blockbuster round four against 16th seed Naomi Osaka<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fifth seed Pegula could find herself facing Venus Williams in the second round, before a hypothetical third-round contest against 26th seed Leylah Fernandez.<\/p>\n Tennis News<\/p>\n Novak Djokovic suffers an injury setback and his ranking will now take a big hit<\/a><\/p>\n Indian Wells: Carlos Alcaraz addresses \u2018target on my back\u2019 after shock Daniil Medvedev loss<\/a><\/p>\n The American could then face 11th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova or 24th seed Emma Raducanu<\/a> in round four, with the latter a potential rematch of the Miami quarter-final won by Pegula in 2025.<\/p>\n The bottom half of the draw is highlighted by second seed and 2022 Miami Open champion Iga Swiatek<\/a>, who was memorably stunned by Alex Eala<\/a> twelve months ago.<\/p>\n A year on from that seismic upset, Swiatek could face 31st seed Eala in the third round.<\/p>\n The Pole will need to beat either Magda Linette or Varvara Gracheva to reach round three, while Eala will have to defeat either Laura Siegemund or Petra Marcinko.<\/p>\n Swiatek could face an Indian Wells rematch against 13th seed Karolina Muchova in round four, before a potential quarter-final against either eighth seed Mirra Andreeva<\/a> or 10th seed Victoria Mboko<\/a>.<\/p>\n Close friends Andreeva and Mboko have already met twice in 2026, and are projected to meet in the fourth round here.<\/p>\n Should Swiatek reach the semi-final, she is projected to face fourth seed Coco Gauff<\/a>, who will be back in action after retiring injured in Indian Wells.<\/p>\n The US No 1 does not have the easiest draw, with 28th seed Maya Joint potentially waiting in round three, and 14th seed Linda Noskova \u2014 a recent Indian Wells semi-finalist \u2014 her projected opponent in round four.<\/p>\n Gauff has also been drawn in the same quarter as compatriot and sixth seed Amanda Anisimova<\/a>, who will be looking to find her best form after a hit-and-miss season to date.<\/p>\n Anisimova could face 30th seed Cristina Bucsa in round three, and 12th seed Belinda Bencic in round four.<\/p>\n Projected Miami Open quarter-finals Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n
(1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (7) Jasmine Paolini
(3) Elena Rybakina vs (5) Jessica Pegula
(6) Amanda Anisimova vs (4) Coco Gauff
(8) Mirra Andreeva vs (2) Iga Swiatek<\/p>\n