The Indian Wells Open is on to the semifinals. The second semifinal of the night sees World No. 3 Elena Rybakina take on World No. 9 Elina Svitolina. The match begins at 9:00. p.m. ET.
Rybakina is -272 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Svitolina is +218. This is my best bet to target for the Rybakina vs. Svitolina match.
Elena Rybakina vs. Elina Svitolina Preview
If Elina Svitolina could win this Indian Wells title, it would be one of the biggest titles of her career. Svitolina has had a great career, but she has never won a Grand Slam title or even made a Grand Slam final. Svitolina has won four WTA 1000 titles, but the most recent one came back in 2018. However, Svitolina has been playing her best tennis in years the last several months. She made her first WTA 1000 final since that win in 2018, just a few weeks ago in Dubai. That comes just a few weeks after Svitolina made her first Grand Slam semifinal since 2023 at the 2026 Australian Open. She is playing some of the best tennis of her career here at Indian Wells, and it would be a massive moment if she could get to the final.
Elena Rybakina has been arguably the best player in the world since the end of last year. Rybakina won the 2025 WTA Finals over Aryna Sabalenka. Then, she won the first major of the year, defeating Aryna Sabalenka again in the 2026 Australian Open final. Rybakina could be on a collision course to face Sabalenka again in this Indian Wells final if they both win their semifinals. After a shaky opening match, Rybakina has been on a roll through her last three matches. She has not dropped a set in any of those matches, including in her tough quarterfinal matchup against Jessica Pegula. This will be a tough matchup, but if Rybakina maintains her level from that last match, she will be really tough to beat.
Elena Rybakina vs. Elina Svitolina Pick, Best Bet
My best bet on this match is for Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina to go over 2.5 sets. These are two players in fantastic form over the past few months. Rybakina has stepped up on all the biggest stages, the WTA Finals, the Australian Open and now Indian Wells. Meanwhile, Svitolina made the Australian Open semifinals and, in her most recent tournament, made it to the final in Dubai. Both of these women will be confident in their ability to win this one.
These two have faced off six times in their careers. It is an even split, with both players winning three of those matches. Svitolina won their line match in 2025, while Rybakina won both times they faced off in 2024. This will be their first time facing off this year. The split head-to-head record only adds to the idea of this being a closely contested match. The momentum should swing back and forth throughout this match, with both players taking a set. In the third set, I would back Elena Rybakina to get it done. However, my favorite bet is on over 2.5 sets.
