"I know Iga did this" - Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina praises Swiatek for winning Sunshine Double, cools expectations ahead of Miami Open 2023

Elena Rybakina has turned down expectations of following in Iga Swiatek's footsteps and completing the Sunshine Double this year.

Swiatek triumphed at Indian Wells and the Miami Open in 2022, in what was a dominant season for the World No. 1. Rybakina is halfway towards replicating the Pole's performances after winning the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday (March 19) — defeating Swiatek in the semifinals.

When asked in her post-match press conference about the upcoming Miami Open and if she was already planning to mount a title challenge there, Rybakina said:

"Well, I will try to focus just on every match, because I think that it's really tough. I know Iga did this. Big respect, because I think it's still kind of long trip to Miami. It's completely different conditions."

She added:

"So I think that that's the goal in the end of the day. But when I go on the court, when I'm already there, I'm just trying to practice and prepare for each match."

Speaking about the conditions in Miami that await her, Elena Rybakina said:

"It depends. I know it can be very windy there, very humid. For sure it's something to adapt. Yeah, I will see how it's gonna go, and hopefully I can adapt quickly."

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Elena Rybakina downs Aryna Sabalenka, wins maiden WTA 1000 title

Elena Rybakina celebrates her 2023 BNP Paribas Open triumph.

On Sunday, Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(11), 6-4 in the summit clash to take home the BNP Paribas Open title. In what was a reversal of this year’s Australian Open championship clash, the No.10 seed defeated the No. 2 seed to win her first title of the season and the first WTA 1000 title of her career.

Sabalenka entered the Indian Wells final with history on her side. She held a 4-0 head-to-head record over Rybakina, though all those meetings were registered in three sets.

Rybakina, however, stayed strong to take the first-set tiebreak before fending off a comeback from Sabalenka in the second set. The Kazakh, speaking at the post-match press conference, stated that having the upper hand in the contest was crucial for her victory as conditions on the court changed mid-way through the match.

"Well, I think important was the first set. We both had chances, but in the end, it went my way. So I think it was important this first set, and then it was a bit easier to start the second with an early break," she said.

"Then the conditions also changed a bit," she added. "In the end of the second set it became very windy, so from one side it was difficult to play. But since I had this advantage of the score I, think this was the difference today."

This was also Rybakina's fourth career WTA singles title and her first since her Wimbledon triumph last summer.