Hailey Baptiste vs Elena Rybakina Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Indian Wells

Prediction published on 06/03/2026, 18:45  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 09/03/2026 at 04:14 in Tennis Predictions

Former Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina begins her quest for another BNP Paribas Open title as the third seed and faces unseeded Hailey Baptiste next. They will square off in the second round to mark their second career meeting. Read on for our prediction of this match.

Hailey Baptiste had to fight her way from dropping the first set to defeat Emiliana Arango in three sets in the first round. It was her seventh win of the campaign and also continued her streak of not losing an opening round tie at Indian Wells to three seasons.

Baptiste, who has compiled a 7-6 record, has dropped one place to 44th in the live ranking.

Elena Rybakina has had an up-and-down performance record at Indian Wells. The highlight was her triumph in 2023, but she has also suffered a second-round loss and a fourth-round exit.

Making her return for a second consecutive year, Rybakina, who defeated Baptiste in Montreal last season, is among the favorites for this year’s title. This is because she has been in strong form despite recent struggles.

The world number three has compiled a 12-3 record, and her season highlight is winning the Australian Open. Rybakina was forced to end her last match, a quarter-final tie in Dubai two weeks ago, early due to injury.