Indian Wells:
top seed Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek ran through the third round of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters 1000 without wasting a minute on Saturday.
Spain’s second-ranked Alcaraz, the champion of the US Open who can return to number one in the world and the third winner of the Masters 1000, needed only one hour and 16 minutes to beat Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-3.
Women’s number one Swiatekwon the French and US open last year, was more ruthless in the victory 6-0, 6-1 to American Claire Liu.
Alcaraz had just one point on his serve in the first set and didn’t get a break point in the match as he edged Tallon Griekspoor, 7-6 (7/3), 7 -6 (7/4). beat Argentina’s Guido Pella.
“Well, I surprised myself today with my serve,” said the 19-year-old. “I served really well in the first set and the second set.
Fast breaks in each set were too much for Kokkinakis to overcome when faced with Alcaraz’s speed and power.
“The only thing I’m looking for in every game is to have fun and play calmly,” said Alcaraz. “I think this is the most important part of my game, to stay calm and go for it and not think about mistakes, points, rounds.
“Just live in the moment, play the game, and go for it,” he added.
Alcaraz was able to do that because there was no sign of the exact injury that caused him to withdraw from the ATP tour in Acapulco before Indian Wells.
He missed the Australian Open with a similar problem, but came back to win in Buenos Aires last month before falling in the final in Rio de Janeiro – where injury hampered him.
“It seems like today I moved well,” Alcaraz said. “I think I’m ready and fully recovered from the injury.”
Men’s champion Taylor Fritz, who defeated Spain’s Rafael Nadal at the end of last year, had to work hard to reach his second round, winning 4-6, 6 -4, 6-3 to Ben Shelton, ranked 41.
Seventh-place Dane Holger Rune and eighth-place Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced.
Rune beat American Mackenzie McDonald 7-5, 6-3 while Auger-Aliassime beat Spaniard Pedro Martinez 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
Former world number one Andy Murray, back from hip surgery in 2019, overcame a down-on-his-luck Radu Albot 6-4, 6-3 – the the Briton’s first straight set of the year he pulled out a string. The six-time marathon winner included an epic fifth set that lasted five hours and 45 minutes in the second round of the Australian Open.
Swiatek, meanwhile, needed just 65 minutes to submit to Liu as she launched her bid to become only the second woman – after Martina Navratilova in 1990 and ’91 – to win again in the Indian Wells titles.
Neither Liu nor the wind on Stadium Court bothered Swiatek, who won 25 of 32 in the first set.
Liu managed to hit a match point as he finally held serve in the final game, slipping a forehand down the line. Swiatek’s save to score the game.
That brought a happy smile to America’s face, but Swiatek closed it out in the next game.
“Obviously Claire took advantage of that time where I didn’t play as hard as I should have, but I’m really happy that I was able to close it out early,” Swiatek said.
She can expect a tough challenge when facing the 2019 Indian Wells and US Open winner Bianca Andreescu, who defeated American Peyton Stearns 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur’s women’s team bounced back after being sidelined with minor knee surgery, defeating Poland’s Magdalena Frech 4-6. 6-4, 6-1.
Fifth seed Caroline Garcia defeated Hungarian Dalma Galfi 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 and Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, the runner-up at the Australian Open in January, was up 4-1 in the second. set to defeat former champion Sofia Kenin 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5).
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