Indian Wells Monday preview: Can Raducanu take out Sabalenka?
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- The two sterling, statuesque Australian Open trophies sit side by side in the home of Yulia Sabalenka.
Being a typical mother, she’s eagerly awaiting -- actively lobbying for, to be honest -- a third piece of Grand Slam hardware.
“She calls them twins,” Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka’s response: “Thanks for that. You couldn’t just appreciate these two -- it was difficult to get.”
Since winning back-to-back titles in Melbourne, the World No.2 has found the going, well, difficult. She lost her only match in the Middle East, to Donna Vekic
With Stearns serving for the match at 5-4 in the third, Sabalenka saved four match points. Eventually, she converted her fourth match point and collected a heart-stopping 6-7(2), 6-2, 7-6(6) win.
“This match definitely goes into the book of craziest matches and the best matches of my career,” Sabalenka said afterward.
On Monday, she faces Emma Raducanu
Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion as a teenager, is mounting a comeback after undergoing three separate surgeries -- on her right ankle and both wrists. She’s 5-4 after an eight-month absence and has won back-to-back matches for the first time. She and Sabalenka have never played, but this is a big step up for the Hologic WTA Tour’s No.250-ranked player.
Since Sabalenka’s first win in a WTA Tour 1000 event, at Indian Wells in 2018, no one has won more WTA 1000 matches than her total of 81. Moreover, Sabalenka has won 15 straight matches against opponents ranked outside the Top 50.
Emma Raducanu
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 9, 2024View Profile advances to R3 after Yastremska retires at 4-0 in the first set.#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/XCg3GsjJQj
Raducanu has never won a match against a Top 10 player, losing to Iga Swiatek
Sabalenka, 25, said it took her about a week to process her second Grand Slam. It felt a little different, she added, than the first.
“Last year … everything was new for me,” she said. “This year I was the defending champion and I kind of knew what to expect, which kinds of emotions to expect in the last stages of the tournament, for example. So I would say I was more ready and like it wasn’t that much emotional that I was able to defend my title.
“Still, it’s an amazing moment.”
Sabalenka -- and her mother, of course -- are hoping for a few more major, trophy hoisting moments; she’s reached at least the semifinals eight times in the past 10 Grand Slams she’s played.
Monday’s card, eight third-round matches from the bottom half of the draw, offer plenty of marquee action. Here’s a brief look:
No.3 Coco Gauff
Like Sabalenka, Gauff took it down to the wire in her second-round match. Down 4-0 in the third set, Gauff came back Saturday to defeat Clara Burel
Afterward, Gauff was hoping it was a harbinger of success going forward.
“The last tournaments I have done well, usually I have a tough opening first round, especially with the biggest one the US Open,” she told reporters. “Just getting through that match definitely meant a lot. Could have easily thrown in the towel.
“I gave myself the best opportunity to win, and I did that. Am I proud of how I played? Not really, to be honest. But the fight, I am proud of.”
Bronzetti has a lot to be proud of, too. The 25-year-old Italian breezed past Magdalena Frech
No.24 Elise Mertens
After experiencing some early turbulence in her return as a new mother, Osaka is swiftly regaining the form that brought her four Grand Slam titles. A win over Mertens would give her three in a row for the first time in her comeback, which began in Australia.
Osaka was sharp in a 7-5, 6-3 defeat of No.14 seed Liudmila Samsonova
“In Australia I was really hard on myself, and I found myself not really celebrating just being on the court,” Osaka said. “So I think in this tournament, I just really wanted to emphasize that I don’t expect myself to win every match. But I want to have fun and enjoy the moments while I can.”
Osaka has won three straight matches against Mertens after losing the first.
Mertens seeks her first Round of 16 appearance at Indian Wells. She’s won her past six matches against players ranked outside the Top 100 but none of them ever won a Grand Slam singles title, much less four.
No.11 Daria Kasatkina
Although Stephens is ranked 32 spots lower than Kasatkina, she’s won four of their five previous matches. The most recent: a three-set victory in the second round of this year’s Australian Open.
Stephens took out No.19 seed Sorana Cirstea
No.9 Maria Sakkari
This one should be fun, full of hard-swinging action.
Garcia won the first three matches between these two, but Sakkari has won the past three -- all in 2023 -- at Doha, Guadalajara and Tokyo.
No.16 Elina Svitolina
Navarro, the 2021 NCAA singles champion, is putting together a nice season. The 22-year-old is already 16-5 and won the title in Hobart, Australia back in January. Navarro was a three-set winner over Lesia Tsurenko
These two have never played.
