Perhaps Tuesday evening was a glimpse of things to come over the next 10 days for Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina.

The pair split a $ 200,000 prize on Tuesday in repeating as Eisenhower Cup champions inside a mostly full Stadium 2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The annual charity event was a Tiebreak Tens mixed doubles exhibition, with ticket sales going to local charities. The prize money came from the BNP Paribas Open, not ticket sales.

Fritz, an American, and Rybakina, a Russian-born Kazakhstani, defeated Americans Learner Tien and Amanda Anisimova, 20-7, in the final. Tien, 20, made his Eisenhower Cup debut by filling in for Andrey Rublev, who has been stuck in Dubai due to travel restrictions prompted by military action by the U.S. and Israel against Iran.

Fritz has now won the event three times.

Fritz and Rybakina have each won the BNP Paribas Open, though it’s been a couple years for each. Fritz won it in 2022, and Rybakina won it in 2023.

Fritz is ranked seventh in the world, and Rybakina, who is ranked third, won an Australian Open title in January, before losing in the quarterfinals in Doha and then in the Round of 16 in Dubai.

Both could be considered among the favorites to win the 2026 BNP Paribas Open, though Fritz would have to navigate a challenging quarter of the draw that includes 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, defending champion Jack Draper and Indian Wells semifinal regular Daniil Medvedev.

Maybe Tuesday’s result will give Fritz and Rybakina a little momentum heading into he draw.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Taylor Fritz, Elena Rybakina repeat as Eisenhower Cup champions