In the crucial ninth game Suarez Navarro seemingly held but Sabalenka challenged an ace at 40-15 and won the discussion.
The seventh seeds beat Tatiana Poutchek and Anastasia Rodionova 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 to enter the doubles quarterfinals at Indian Wells.
The Indian bounced back to joint lead after splitting a point with Eduard Gorovykh of Russia in the ninth round.
Serena, a six-times champion in New York who is seeded 17th, will start her campaign against Polish world number 60 Magda Linette and could face Venus in the third round before a possible fourth-round showdown with Romanian top seed Halep.
Former world number one Lindsay Davenport claimed her 55th career title by cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over teenager Olga Govortsova of Belarus in the Memphis Championship on Saturday. The 31-year-old fourth seed needed just 60 minutes to beat the fifth-seeded Govortsova in their first career meeting.
Top-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic withdrew from the Qatar Open on Thursday after injuring her left ankle beating Olga Govortsova of Belarus the previous day.
Israel's Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram won their first grand slam title with a 7-5, 7-6 victory over Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra in the Australian Open men's doubles final on Saturday.
Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko came from a set down to win their first women's doubles title at the Australian Open.
Germany defender Nico Schulz scored a late winner as their new-look side snatched a 3-2 win away to the Netherlands in their opening Euro 2020 Group C qualifier on Sunday, an absorbing clash that swung in fortunes from one side to the other.
Maria Sharapova became a goodwill ambassador for the UN Development Fund and donated $100,000 to the Chernobyl victims.
World champions Italy were drawn against Bulgaria and England were up against Croatia, who knocked them out of the Euro 2008 tournament, following the draw for 2010 World Cup qualifying made in Durban on Sunday
A round-up of Thursday night's matches from the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
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Eugenie Bouchard proved again she is a player for the big occasion by powering into the second round of the US Open with a 6-2, 6-1 demolition of Olga Govortsova on Tuesday, bringing a smile to the player hyped as the future face of women's tennis.
India's Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna fell by the wayside at the Australian Open on Monday.
China's Li Na celebrated her comeback from injury with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 triumph over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to win the Australian Hardcourt Championships in Gold Coast on Saturday.
China's Li Na continued her giant-killing run at the Australian Hardcourt Championships, beating fourth seed Patty Schnyder to reach the final.
The fifth seeds defeated fourth seeded Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyet 6-3, 7-6 (4).
Serena Williams will be 'ready to go' when she returns to action this week in the United States' Fed Cup first round tie against the Netherlands, captain Kathy Rinaldi said on Wednesday.
Coco Vandeweghe thrives on team play and said on Wednesday she hopes to cap a breakthrough season by leading the United States to victory over Belarus in this weekend's Fed Cup final.
Victoria Azarenka's quest for her third successive Australian Open title took a little while to get going before she finally overcame a feisty Johanna Larsson 7-6, 6-2 in their first round match at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.
Osaka survives test to reach last 16
Vinesh wins bronze, Pooja in line for second medal
Ian Nepomniachtchi was declared winner of the World Youth Star chess tournament after finishing joint-first with Negi, Rauf Mamedov and Zaven Andriasian.
The Indo-Belgian duo had earlier in the quarter-finals of the Stockholm Open shocked fourth seeds Jeff Coetzee of South Africa and Rogier Wassen of the Netherlands.
France's Pauline Parmentier, playing her first WTA Tour final, stunned top seed Victoria Azarenka in the final of the Tashkent Open.
The Belarus lass won her first round match at the Sunfeast Open in straight sets.
Mahesh Bhupathi and Radek Stepanek advanced to the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters with a straight-sets victory over Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra.
Belarus pair Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka seized the US Open mixed doubles title with a 6-4, 7-6 victory.
A bronze medal in his kitty, Indian boxer Shiva Thapa could not add the Olympic quota place to it despite a valiant effort in a hard-fought box-off of the World Championships in Doha on Wednesday.
Dutch striker Robin van Persie scored a superb late goal to give Arsenal a 2-1 win over Italian champions Inter Milan and victory in the pre-season Emirates Cup tournament on Sunday.
Sania and her American partner defeated Jidkova and Poutchek 7-6(4), 7-5 to romp home at the WTA Tier III event on Sunday.
The third seeded Indian ace easily beat Olga Govortsova of Belarus at the US $175,000 WTA Tier III event.
Brothers Mike and Bob Bryan retained their Australian Open men's doubles title on Saturday after a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi.
Paths to the final in the women's singles at the U.S. Open (prefix denotes seedings)
The Indo-Czech pair shocked seventh seeds Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram of Israel in the third round at the French Open.
Olga Govortsova of Belarus was handed a second round clash against top seed Ana Ivanovic when Indian opponent Sania Mirza was forced to retire with cramp in the third set of their match at the Qatar Open.
Images from the action on Day 2 at the Australian Open.
They were beaten by the Czech duo of Martin Damm and Cyril Suk in the first round of the Paris Masters.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka will no longer bite her tongue or try to fit into any media-trained 'image' as she makes her way on the tennis tour.
Kyrgios did not face a single break point and hit 18 aces, including two to close out the final.
