Indian Wells: Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula advance to quarters

Sonay Kartal of Great Britain shakes hands at the net after retiring in the second set due to injury against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in their fourth round match of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 11, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images/AFP 

Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, the 2023 winner, advanced to the quarterfinal by retirement at Indian Wells, with unseeded Briton Sonay Kartal calling it a day as she trailed 6-4, 4-3.

Kartal had received treatment for a lower back injury during a medical timeout late in the first set.

She continued to receive massages on the changeovers in the second before finally calling a halt after going down a break.

“Definitely not the way I wanted to finish the match,” Rybakina said. “It’s not easy, this kind of injury.”

Jessica Pegula of the United States serves to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during Day 8 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 11, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP 

Rybakina next faces fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula, whose 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) victory over Belinda Bencic marked her first victory over the Swiss veteran after four defeats.

“Really happy being able to turn around my pretty poor record against Belinda,” Pegula said.

“When you’re able to figure that out and get over that hump it’s always a good feeling.”

Up 5-3 in the second set, Pegula thwarted a late comeback bid from Bencic, who produced a love service game then broke Pegula as she served for the match at 5-4.

Bencic then held serve to force the tiebreaker, saving a pair of match points before Pegula closed out the win on her third opportunity.

“She made me have to earn it today,” Pegula said.

“I felt like in the second set, when I got up there, I had a little bit of a lull where I had a couple of game points and I could have maybe finished the match.

“But she’s a really good player and when you don’t quite finish those off that’s where she can come in, and that’s what she did.”