World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka powered her way into yet another final of the season at the Indian Wells. Yet, despite the Belarusian’s commanding performance, it wasn’t just her tennis that caught attention. Instead, the nearly empty stands during her semifinal clash quickly became the center of discussion, triggering frustration among fans who felt a match of that magnitude deserved a much bigger crowd.

The issue has been somewhat puzzling, given that the tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden has reportedly enjoyed good attendance in some matches this year. But one venue in particular – Stadium 2, the tournament’s second-largest arena with a capacity of around 8,000 – has repeatedly appeared empty during several high-profile encounters.

Surprisingly, even Sabalenka’s SF match against Noskova in Stadium 1 received a similar fate.

While the Belarusian delivered a dominant 6-3, 6-4 victory to book her place in the final, television images showing large pockets of empty seats quickly sparked criticism online. Many fans questioned why a match featuring the World No. 1 was played in front of such a sparse audience.

On the court, though, the Belarusian looked every bit the title contender. The four-time Grand Slam champion used her trademark power to dictate play, blasting 11 aces and 37 winners, both her highest tallies in a match this season. The warmer desert conditions also worked in her favor, allowing the ball to zip through the court and amplifying the effectiveness of her aggressive serving strategy.

One key moment arrived late in the second set. With Sabalenka leading 4-3, Noskova earned a break point that could have shifted the momentum. But the Belarusian responded with composure, first forcing a missed return and then firing an ace to hold for 5-3 before eventually closing out the match on her serve. Reflecting on her approach, Sabalenka emphasized the importance of continuously evolving her game.

“If you want to be on top, you always have to search for something, for little details to add to your game so you can be really unpredictable,” she said. “To have all those tools in your game, that definitely gives you so much of an advantage over other players.”

The victory sends Aryna Sabalenka into her third Indian Wells final in four years. She will now face Elena Rybakina, who earlier defeated Elina Svitolina in the other semifinal. The matchup also serves as a high-stakes rematch of the recent 2026 Australian Open final as well as the 2023 Indian Wells final.

Despite her impressive track record at the tournament, Sabalenka is still chasing her first title in the California desert. She made it clear that lifting the trophy this time is her primary focus.

Statistically, the Belarusian has been formidable this season. With the win, she improved to 7-1 against Top 20 opponents in 2026, with her only defeat coming against Rybakina in Melbourne.

Still, the conversation around the match extended far beyond the baseline rallies. One major factor behind the sparse attendance appears to be a change in ticketing policy this year at Indian Wells. Previously, a standard grounds pass allowed spectators access to the upper sections of Stadium 2, along with several other courts.

Now, the stadium requires separate ticketing, limiting access for fans who previously would have filled those seats.

Fans puzzled by empty seats during Sabalenka–Noskova match

Some fans speculated that the low turnout might have been due to the high temperatures, which have led to thinner crowds at several matches at Indian Wells this year. Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, shared a tweet recently, saying, “just pulling up to the courts hottest 🥵 day i’ve ever seen during the tournament 🏟️ and i’ve been coming almost 45 years ⁦@Tennis⁩.”

Pointing out a similar thought and highlighting the other possible reason for it, a tennis fan tweeted, “Combination of reasons. The two matchups aren’t the most compelling for the average tennis fan, and lot of people have started to get tickets at the last minute. It’s extremely hot🥵 4 pm start time makes it an awkward time for people to leave work and get there by on a Friday.”

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Just a day ago, even Aryna Sabalenka sent a major warning to the Indian Wells crowd about the extreme weather conditions. She asked to stay hydrated and put some extra salt in their drinks to cope with the heat. Commenting on the low turnout at Sabalenka’s match, another fan wrote, “It’s an absolute disgrace.”

Indian Wells currently features 29 hard courts, with 9 used for matches during the tournament. But the decision to grant ground passes, which allowed entry to every court except Stadium 1 and Stadium 2, drew multiple criticisms this year. We’ve already seen hundreds of seats remain empty during Jack Draper’s match against Francisco Cerundolo at Stadium 2.

Now, seeing this grim picture in Aryna Sabalenka’s match made some of the fans say, “Wow, how could IW screw up so badly. Restrictive ticketing, $27 cocktails, $250 lunches. Maybe they should move it to Dubai …”

Talking about pricing, there is also greater emphasis on luxury this year, with a ‘Charcuterie Champagne Lounge’ featuring pours at $43 and a gourmet burger stand offering an ounce of caviar for $125.

Talking about their ticketing strategies and all the related factors that raised a few question marks this year at Indian Wells, the organizers said that the tournament will “carefully evaluate” its decision after the conclusion of the event.

As per some of the fans, “people saying it’s always sparse for the womens tour are wrong. It was a sold out stadium at AO for the womens semi finals and finals. On the women’s final day, even the grounds passes were sold out. The Indian Wells folks just do not know how to sell tickets.”

While sharing thoughts about the attendance at Daniil Medvedev’s match against Sebastian Baez, renowned tennis journalist Jose Morgado said that it looks “pathetic” to have an empty stand at 9:30 pm. Ben Rothenberg called it “awful” to witness vacant seats at Stadium 2 in particular.

Reflecting on what happened during Aryna Sabalenka vs. Linda Noskova’s match, a fan tweeted, “Shame…what’s happen with this tournament? Price tickets for sure isn’t it ?”

What are your thoughts on witnessing the empty seats in some of these high-voltage clashes in the tennis world? Share your views with us in the comment box.