Aryna Sabalenka made a powerful statement to start off the Indian Wells Open. The second-ranked player in the world put on an impressive display against Evgeniya Rodina, showcasing her powerful groundstrokes and dominance at the net. Sabalenka’s performance was a reminder of why she is so highly regarded, as she easily dispatched of her opponent in straight sets.
Maria Sakkari also had a strong showing at the tournament, as she made it all the way to the quarterfinals. She displayed an impressive all-around game, mixing powerful groundstrokes with superior court movement. Sakkari was especially effective at the net, where she won the majority of her points.
The youngest player in the tournament, Coco Gauff, was another standout performer. At just 15 years old, Gauff showed poise beyond her years and displayed a level of maturity that belied her age. She was able to take the match to her opponents, with her powerful groundstrokes and ability to come up with clutch shots.
All three of these players demonstrated why they are at the top of the game. Sabalenka, Sakkari, and Gauff all showed that they have the ability to compete at the highest level, which bodes well for the future of women’s tennis.
Overall, the performance of Sabalenka, Sakkari, and Gauff at the Indian Wells Open was a reminder of the talent in women’s tennis. Each player made a statement with their respective performances, and it will be exciting to see what the future holds for these three superstars.
Belarus’ Sabalenka needed just 66 minutes to defeat the Russian 6-2 6-0, taking advantage of her first-round bye to book her spot in the third round against Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko.
Tsurenko had to come from behind against the in-form Donna Vekic, fresh off her Monterrey Open title last week, but that big effort may have had the Croatian with heavy legs as she ran out of steam 2-6 6-2 6-2.
It was a strong day for the Ukrainians as 27th seed Anhelina Kalinina beat the Czech Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova 4-6 6-4 7-5, and she will next face Greece’s Maria Sakkari.
Sakkari, the seventh seed, had to deal with adversity after a poor first set against Shelby Rogers, coming back to win 2-6 6-4 6-0.
Olympic gold medallist, Belinda Bencic, lost her Swiss showdown against Jil Teichmann 3-6 6-3 6-3, while Veronika Kudermetova got the better of her Russian compatriot Anna Blinkova 6-3 6-4.
The second-highest ranked American in the field, Coco Gauff, had no issues dispatching Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-2 6-4. But it was tougher work for America’s top hope Jessica Pegula as she was pushed all the way by recent Merida Open champion Camila Giorgi, before prevailing 3-6 6-1 6-2.
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