BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, CA, 2025 - WTA 1000

[MargaretMcAleer]

Donna Vekic plays her best match in a long time to defeat Emma Navarro (10) 76(5) 61 to reach the last 16 at IW for the first time!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Seeds losing on Monday 10th March,
Mertens (28) Sakkari (29) Shnaider (13) Kasatkina (12) Navarro (10)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

R16 Matches Bottom Half of the draw,
Tuesday 11th March,

Rybakina (7) vs Andreeva (9)
Pegula (4) vs Svitolina (23)
Zheng (8) vs Kostyuk (18)
Swiatek (2) vs Muchova (15)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

BTW,
Belinda Bencic will return to the top 50 next Monday just 4 months after coming back from maternity leave
Special!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Rain has delayed the start of play, Swiatek v Muchova.
Play has started
In less than 1/2 hour Iga wins the 1st set 61, not letting Muchova use her variety in her game, Muchova needs strong 1st serves for starters, she did a DF in her last service game giving the 1st set to Iga. Muchova not handling the wind at all, which is unusual from Muchova.
I was expecting a tighter contest, not to be, Swaitek in control from the start of this match, standing inside the court on her front foot, returning the ball low, Muchova on the other hand, just a bad day at the office sad to say in all aspects of her game
Swaitek 61 61 in less than 1 hours play!
Iga reaches her 4th consecutive QF at IW

 

[kskate2]

I think only Saba or the teen queen can dethrone Iga in the desert.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I think only Saba or the teen queen can dethrone Iga in the desert.

Probably though I will wait to see The Teen Queen taken on Rybakina when the rain goes away hopefully some time today
Sabalenka has a easier round 16 match
I was impressed with Mirra in her last match, a very mature performance against Tauson

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Match has resumed Pegula v Svitolina 1 set all
Svitolina leading 4-1 3rd set
Svitolina continues her solid play at IW defeating No 4 seed Pegula 57 61 62

 

[kskate2]

Jess and Emma need to quit it. They go down to some low level tourney the week before and rollover a bunch of tomato cans. At least Merida was 500. But Austin is only half that and the draw showed it. Then both show up here and get walked right back out the front door

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Just an impressive first set from Mirra Andreeva, winning 61 over Rybakina, and has a early break in the 2nd set,
Andreeva d Rybakina 61 62 over a very 'erratic' Rybakina
Another impressive and controlled match from The Teen Queen
Andreeva will face Svitolina in the QFs

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Final match of Round 16 bottom half
Zheng (8) d Kostyuk (18) 63 62
A much better showing from Zheng at IW always in control of the match

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Seeds that lost Tuesday 11th March,
Pegula (4) Rybakina (7) Muchova (15) Kostyuk (18)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Round 16 matches Top Half of the Draw,
Wednesday March 12,

Gauff (3) vs Bencic
Keys (5) vs Vekic (19)
Sabalenka (1) vs Kartal
Paolini (6) vs Samsonova (24)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

1 set all between Gauff and Bencic
I feel Gauff has to play more aggressive in the 3rd set, as Bencic always plays on the front foot and likes to take the ball on and early
Gauff played a good measured 1st set, I feel she has to repeat that in order to win this match
Meanwhile Bencic getting treatment on her hand, before she had treatment on her foot, looks like a blister to me on Bencic's hand
This has been a high quality game from both players
Bencic with her 2BP of Coco's service game and she breaks with a wild fhand from Gauff, Gauff was 40 love up as well
Bencic will serve for the match 5-4
Bencic d Gauff 36 63 64 a good quality match from both players

 

[kskate2]

Coco is all over the place. Her serve is slow and whack now and it affects the rest of her game. Because she's not going after the 1st serve, she's tentative on the groundies. Who's she going to blame this time? Brad is not there.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Coco is all over the place. Her serve is slow and whack now and it affects the rest of her game. Because she's not going after the 1st serve, she's tentative on the groundies. Who's she going to blame this time? Brad is not there.

Coco was too tentative in the 2nd and 3rd sets, I felt she played a well measured 1st set, it was only in that game when she was up 40 love that decided the match for Bencic in the 3rd set, Gauff fhand let her down, at least she is not making too many DFs in this match., sometimes when she goes big on her 1st serve that is when the DFs happen, it is a matter of finding a balance with her 1st serve

 

[kskate2]

Coco was too tentative in the 2nd and 3rd sets, I felt she played a well measured 1st set, it was only in that game when she was up 40 love that decided the match for Bencic in the 3rd set, Gauff fhand let her down, at least she is not making too many DFs in this match.

That's the game that really determined the outcome of the match. But if we're being honest, she got lucky in the first set because Belinda wasn't settled and made some errors. Those errors pretty much disappeared and she was the steadier of the two in the last 2 sets

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

That's the game that really determined the outcome of the match. But if we're being honest, she got lucky in the first set because Belinda wasn't settled and made some errors. Those errors pretty much disappeared and she was the steadier of the two in the last 2 sets

Agree Bencic was the steadier in the last 2 sets and deserved her win, and what a comeback from Bencic after her maternity leave, back in the Top 50 next Monday

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Madison cannot afford DFs in the 2nd set TB, Vekic has impressed me with her serving in the 2nd set and the TB
Vekic winning the 1st set 64
Keys stepping up in the last couple of points in the TB 5 all
SP on Keys serve, No found the net, 6 all
Great angle FH from Keys 7-6
7 all Vekic holds firm
4th SP for Keys fhand cross court winner
Keys wins the 2nd set 76(7)
Going 3 sets
Madison carried her momentum from the TB into the 3rd set, with her fhand doing the damage and she just broke Vekic for a double break and will serve for the match and a place in the QF 5-2
Really Madison, could not get a first serve in, then did a Djoko smash at the net, broken, Donna gets 1 of the breaks back and will serve at 3-5
Madison with 2 SP. Oh fhand long
Madison with 1 SP
Finally Keys d Vekic 46 76(7) 63 and she will play Bencic in the QF.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Sabalenka had no trouble in her match against Kartal, winning 61 62 to reach the QFs