Aryna Sabalenka vs. McCartney Kessler
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Age-wise, these two are surprisingly close—Sabalenka is 26, Kessler 25. Career-wise, they might as well come from different generations. Sabalenka has been in the Top 10 for the past five years, and the Top 2 since 2023. Kessler, who went to the University of Florida before embarking on the tour, entered the Top 100 for the first time last summer, and the Top 50 for the first time last month.
While that leaves 47 spots between them, this match is more intriguing and potentially competitive than those numbers may indicate. That’s because in 2025, Kessler has more wins than Sabalenka (15 to 12), and has won a title and made a final. She also looked sharp in her first-round demolition of Anna Blinkova. Sabalenka, meanwhile, may still be recovering from her near miss against Madison Keys in the Australian Open final. Since then, she’s 1-2.
These two have never played, which leaves us to wonder how Kessler’s aggressive, flat-hitting will match up with Sabalenka’s spinnier but even more aggressive style. As Keys showed in Melbourne, and Clara Tauson showed in Dubai, the world No. 1 can be rattled by a big hitter. The questions may be: Can the slender Kessler hit big enough, and how much will the surface at Indian Wells help her? Winner: Sabalenka
