Third-round action continues on Day 6 of the BNP Paribas Open. It's highlighted by the second edition of a potential rivalry between defending champion Iga Swiatek and 2019 winner Bianca Andreescu, while Ons Jabeur and Carolina Garcia both face Australian Open rematches.
Here are the top five picks from the order of play.
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[1] Iga Swiatek (POL) vs. [32] Bianca Andreescu (CAN)
Head-to-head: Swiatek leads 1-0
A second pro meeting between the second- and third-youngest active Grand Slam champions on tour. Their first was in the Rome quarterfinals last year. Andreescu was playing the third tournament of her comeback following a six-month mental health hiatus; Swiatek was in the midst of the 37-match winning streak that cemented her as a dominant World No.1. Swiatek, who had also won their only junior encounter, took it 7-6(2), 6-0. But Andreescu was the only player who even took Swiatek to a tiebreak in Rome, and that nip-and-tuck first set was a glimpse into the threat she could potentially pose.
Highlights: Swiatek d. Liu, R2 | Andreescu d. Stearns, R2
It wouldn't be accurate to suggest that they're meeting on Andreescu's turf this time round. The Canadian, who won Indian Wells in 2019, certainly prefers North American hard courts; but as defending champion, it's as much Swiatek's turf too.
It's also hard to look past the astonishing form Swiatek showed in her 65-minute opening rout of Claire Liu, though in Andreescu's three-set victory over Peyton Stearns, the 22-year-old at least showed no signs of the shoulder injury that beset her during February.
[4] Ons Jabeur (TUN) vs. Marketa Vondrousova (CZE)
Head-to-head: Jabeur leads 3-2 (Vondrousova leads 1-0 on hard courts and 1-0 in 2023)
When Ons Jabeur was informed of her next opponent, the Tunisian's response was an earthy one. "I do? Sh*t. I didn't know."
It's no surprise. Marketa Vondrousova was the player who evicted her in the second round of the Australian Open in January, and the Czech's No.105 ranking belies her quality. Like two-time major runner-up Jabeur, Vondrousova has reached a Grand Slam final, at Roland Garros 2019. That was also the year she made an impact at Indian Wells, notching a maiden Top 5 win over Simona Halep to reach the quarterfinals.
Highlights: Jabeur d. Frech, R2
"Bad thing since she's playing good," said Jabeur, having noted Vondrousova's 6-1, 6-1 second-round win over No.28 seed Marie Bouzkova.
Jabeur also admitted after defeating Magdalena Frech in three sets that "it was probably too early to come back" from last month's knee surgery, but that she saw it as a new challenge. That test has just become even sterner for the 2021 semifinalist.
Head to Head
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[30] Leylah Fernandez (CAN) vs. [5] Caroline Garcia (FRA)
Head-to-head: Garcia leads 1-0
In another Australian Open rematch, Caroline Garcia takes on Leylah Fernandez for the second time this year. WTA Finals champion Garcia edged their Melbourne second round 7-6(5), 7-5, a contest that was on a knife edge throughout. The Frenchwoman needed to come from 5-2 down in the first-set tiebreak, and save a set point in the second set.
Highlights: Garcia d. Galfi, R2 | Fernandez d. Navarro, R2
Whether 2021 US Open runner-up Fernandez can reverse that result will come down to how both players perform on big points. Since they last played, Garcia's reliability on that front has slipped slightly. She's reached two finals, in Lyon and Monterrey, but was denied in tight matches by Alycia Parks and Donna Vekic respectively.
[10] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) vs. [21] Paula Badosa (ESP)
Head-to-head: Badosa leads 4-1 (including 1-0 on outdoor hard courts and 2-0 in 2022)
Paula Badosa can make a decent claim to being Elena Rybakina's kryptonite. The Kazakh's only win in the series came back in 2019 on clay in Bucharest (she would go on to win her maiden title). Even 2022, a season that saw Rybakina win her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon while Badosa tumbled outside the Top 10 from a high of No.2 in May, saw the Spaniard triumph in both their meetings.
Having said that, all of their contests have been tight: every one has either featured a tiebreak or gone to three sets. And Rybakina, who reached her second major final at the Australian Open, is still on an upward curve.
Highlights: Rybakina d. Kenin, R2
The location should help Badosa. She rocketed into the Top 10 after winning her first WTA 1000 title here in 2021, and backed it up with a semifinal run last year. She's now fallen outside the Top 20, so a statement showing at a tournament where the slow conditions enhance her physical game would be rather useful. Badosa will be bidding for her first Top 10 win in 10 months, since beating Ons Jabeur in Stuttgart last year.
Head to Head
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Emma Raducanu (GBR) vs. [13] Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)
Head-to-head: 0-0
After the uncertainty surrounding Emma Raducanu's health coming into Indian Wells, it's a relief to find it under control. After defeating No.20 seed Magda Linette in straight sets, she described herself as "not at 100%, but better", and that her wrist issue is "manageable".
Highlights: Raducanu d. Linette, R2 | Haddad Maia d. Siniakova, R2
The former US Open champion's tactics and forehand have been spot-on this week so far, but her next test will be the most physical so far. Beatriz Haddad Maia has soared into the Top 20 over the past year thanks to her blend of heavy power and willingness to grind relentlessly. The Brazilian has been part of two of the 10 longest matches of 2023 so far, and showcased her resilience again in her opener, coming from a set and 5-3 down to outlast Katerina Siniakova 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 in 2 hours and 37 minutes.
Also in action
No.8 seed Daria Kasatkina, the 2018 finalist, will seek to avenge a heavy Australian Open loss to Varvara Gracheva, who scored her first Top 10 win 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of Melbourne. Gracheva has since made her maiden WTA final in Austin last week.
No.23 seed Martina Trevisan is also looking to reverse a recent result. The Roland Garros semifinalist lost to Karolina Muchova 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of Doha last month.
The only third-round clash of unseeded players in the top half of the draw pits Bernarda Pera against Sorana Cirstea for the first time. Big-hitting left-hander Pera, 28, broke into the Top 50 last year after winning her first two WTA titles back-to-back in Budapest and Hamburg.
