WTA IW: Serena Williams wins her first match at Indian Wells since 2001 - UBITENNIS
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WTA IW: Serena Williams wins her first match at Indian Wells since 2001

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TENNIS WTA IW – Serena Williams made an emotional return to Indian Wells after 14 years of absence with a 7-5 7-5 win over Monica Niculescu. Diego Sampaolo

Serena Williams made an emotional return to Indian Wells after 14 years of absence with a 7-5 7-5 win over Monica Niculescu. Niculescu provided a stiff challenge. Niculescu did not hit any aces in the whole match but she won 68 percent of her first serve points. However Serena prevailed in straight set thanks to her 13 aces.

It was an emotional day for Serena who received a standing ovation when she walked onto the Centre Court. Emotions affected Serena in the early stages of the match. Niculescu, who had never beaten a top-five player in her career, started better and opened up a 2-0 lead in the first set. Williams dropped two of her first four service games in the first set. At 3-5 for Niculescu the US legend held her first serve to love and got the break clawing her way back into the match. Serena had to save two break points in the 11th game but she managed to hold serve. Niculescu made a costly error at 40-40 and dropped the first set. Serena was broken early in the second set but she broke back immediately. The second set went on serve when Serena broke serve before clinching the win with 7-5 on her fourth match point.

I feel really good. I feel like the nerves have gone away. I feel better. I was a little nervous. The weeks leading up were nerve-wracking. I am good that I was able to do it. I just wasn’t able to get through that match. It was a super tricky one for me”, said Williams

Simona Halep rallied from a second down to beat Daria Gavrilova 2-6 6-1 6-2. Halep got the first break of the match in the third game of the first set after Gavrilova made two double faults and two backhand errors. Halep started committing too many unforced errors and dropped five consecutive games to drop the first set with 6-2. The second set started with a series of breaks but Halep was more solid on serve and drew level with a 6-1 win forcing the match to the decider. Halep committed four double faults at the start of the third set but she managed to hold serve. Halep broke serve and cruised to 6-2 to advance to the next round.

Heather Watson beat Camila Giorgi 7-5 7-5. The Italian committed 18 double faults and 54 unforced errors. Giorgi broke serve in the fourth game of the opening set but she committed three double faults at 3-2 enabling Watson to break back. Watson dropped serve again in the next game to go down 3-4. Giorgi committed two double faults and a forehand error to drop her serve for 4-all. At 6-5 for Watson, Giorgi made her 10th double fault and Watson converted her set point to clinch the first set with 7-5.

Watson cruised to 5-0 in the second set after a series of double faults from Giorgi. The Italian broke her losing streak of seven consecutive games by holding her serve. Giorgi clawed her way into the match by drawing level to 5-5 but she committed three errors with her return to drop the 11th game. Giorgi committed two unforced errors and another double fault to drop the final game of the match.

Agnieszka Radwanska eased past Allison Riske with 6-3 6-1. Radwanska won the first five games of the match to open up a 5-0 lead. Riske saved a set point to hold her serve for the first time in the match. Riske broke serve but Radwanska closed out the first set on the third set point. Radwanska broke serve early in the second set and opened up a 4-0 lead before closing out the match with 6-1.

Sloane Stephens beat Angelique Kerber 7-6 (8-6) 6-2. Kerber went up a break twice in the first set to lead 3-0 and 5-3 but Stephens forced the set to the tie-break. Kerber saved two set points but dropped the tie-break with 6-8. Stephens, who hit 37 winners in the match, won the second set easily with 6-2.

Garbine Muguruza came back from a set down to edge Irina Falconi in three sets with 4-6 6-2 6-3. After a first set marked by seven breaks Falconi got the decisive break in the ninth game. Muguruza saved three set points but dropped the first set with 6-4. Muguruza won 82 percent of her first serve points and clinched the second set with 6-2. Falconi won just 25 percent of her second serve points. Muguruza won the third set with 6-3 setting up an intriguing third round match against Karolina Pliskova.

Ekaterina Makarova cruised past her doubles partner Elena Vesnina with 6-4 6-0. Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova beat Barbora Strycova Zahlavova with a double 6-3

World Number 11 Lucie Safarova, who won her first Premier-level tournament in Doha, beat Mona Barthel 6-4 7-6 (7-4). Safarova got the decisive break in the fourth game to win the first set There were more breaks in the second set where Barthel took the lead with 2-1. Safarova broke back in the next game to open up a 4-2 lead. Barthel forced the second set to the tie-break after a series of errors from the Czech player. Safarova won the most crucial points in the tie-break and won it with 7-4 to set up her next match against Elena Svitolina.

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Caroline Garcia Opens Up About Recent Struggles After Claiming First Top 10 Win Since 2022 In Miami

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Caroline Garcia - Australian Open 2024 (Foto X @ausopen)

After a lacklustre start to her season, Caroline Garcia is finally finding some momentum in her tennis at the Miami Open. 

Garcia, who has been ranked as high as fourth in the world, came into the WTA 1000 event yet to reach a quarter-final on the Tour this year and hadn’t back-to-back matches. However, her fortunes have turned around at her latest event where she produced a stunning win over Coco Gauff in the fourth round on Monday. 

The 30-year-old rallied to a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, win over the reigning US Open champion. It is the first time she has beaten a top 10 player on the Tour for 16 months. Before taking on Gauff, she also beat four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka in straight sets. 

“It’s definitely a great match and a great win for me. The last couple of months have not been easy,” Garcia said afterwards. 

Garcia claimed the biggest title of her career at the 2022 WTA Finals, where she won four out of her five matches played at the end-of-season event. However, since then she has only reached the final of two more Tour-level events which were during the first two months of last year. She is currently ranked 27th in the world and has been outside the top 20 since January. 

“Sometimes you don’t have all the results you want, and sometimes it can affect you too much,” Garcia commented.
“You have to find a good balance and a good relationship with tennis to balance your professional life and personal.
“I think we have been able to do good sometimes. On the practice courts in Indian Wells after the loss against Maria (Sakkari), I was a bit down and then we did some good practice and we saw she played well. 
“My game was there. I just had to go for it and play my matches. I have been able to do it one match at a time.”

The Frenchwoman will be hoping to continue her fairytale run in the quarter-finals where she will take on unseeded Danielle Collins. Collins, who will retire later this year, dropped only five games during her 6-3, 6-2, win over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. 

“I just want to be focused on my game what I can do and at the end try my best and walk out of the court proud of the effort,” Garcia concluded. 

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Shocks Galore In Miami As Four Top 10 Players Crash Out Of Women’s Draw

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An action-packed Saturday at the Miami Open saw a series of top names suffer surprise losses in the third round with the the most high-profile exit being Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. 

The world No.2 suffered a disappointing 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, loss to Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina after just over two hours of play. Sabalenka struggled particularly with her second serve with the Belarussian only winning 10 out of 27 points. In the final set, she failed to hold her serve once and smashed her racket on the ground multiple times immediately after the match concluded. 

“It’s always tough to play on big stages against these top players,” said Kalinina. “Today was really tough with nerves but I managed in the tough moments to deal with it. 
“So I’m a little bit proud of myself today.” 

Sabalenka’s defeat comes less than a week after the death of her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov who passed away in Miami. She has opted not to speak with the media at the tournament whilst playing due to the current circumstances. However, on Wednesday in a short statement on social media, she said her “heart was broken” by the “unthinkable tragedy.” 

Meanwhile, 32nd seed Kalinina will next play Yulia Putintseva. It is the first time she has beaten a top 10 player this season with Sabalenka being the second Grand Slam winner she has ousted in Miami. Earlier in the tournament, she also knocked out Caroline Wozniacki in a marathon encounter that lasted more than three hours. 

Another casualty in the draw is Ons Jabeur who lost 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, to Elina Avanbesyan. It is the fourth match in a row that the Tunisian has lost on the Tour. She is yet to win back-to-back matches on the Tour in 2024 but has been troubled in recent weeks by a knee injury. 

Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen was knocked out of the draw in straight sets by former champion Victoria Azarenka. Zheng was broken four times in the match during her 6-4, 7-5, loss. 

Finally, Jelena Ostaoeko won just four games during her 6-3, 6-1, loss to Anna Kalinskaya. 

Despite the series of shocks, four out of five top five players remain in the draw this year. They are Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula. 

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Coco Gauff And Aryna Sabalenka Struggle Through In Indian Wells Openers

The duo were pushed to three sets in their first matches played at this year’s WTA 1000 event.

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Coco Gauff admits she didn’t play her best tennis at Indian Wells on Saturday after coming through a rollercoaster three-set battle. 

The world No.3 needed more than two hours to oust France’s Clara Burel 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Gauff found herself trailing multiple times during the match. After losing the opening set, the reigning US Open champion then had to battle back from a 0-4 deficit in the decider. Capitalising on some tentative hitting from Burel who was bidding to record the biggest win of her career. 

Despite prevailing, it was a far from vintage performance from Gauff who hit six double faults and 14 unforced errors during the first set alone. She also struggled behind her second serve, winning just 12 out of 36 points played. 

“I think for me it’s just getting through that match definitely meant a lot,” Gauff said. “Could have easily thrown in the towel. But honestly, I was just telling myself, like, win or lose, I don’t want to have any regrets on the court. I want to be like 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. I am eager to improve. I think it wasn’t my best tennis at all. I think I just have a lot of improvement that I can do to get better.”

The 19-year-old has become the first teenager in the last 15 years to have won 50 or more matches at WTA 1000 events. She will next play Lucia Bonzetti.

“That’s pretty cool,” Gauff commented on her latest milestone. “I feel like I have a lot of stats and stuff like that. Hopefully I can close this chapter of my life off good. I’m really happy with how my teenage years went.” 

Sabalenka avoids major upset 

Aryna Sabalenka was another player to experience trouble during their opening match after outlasting Peyton Sterns 6-7 (2), 6-2, 7-6 (8), in a clash that lasted almost three hours. The world No.2 was on the verge of losing and had to save four match points when down 4-5 in the final set. Despite that blip, she held her nerve to break back before prevailing in a tightly contested tiebreaker. 

“Wow, I think I was right when I see this tattoo of a tiger and I was fighting today like a tiger,” said Sabalenka. “It’s just crazy what happened. She’s an unbelievable player.
“She played crazy tennis. She said at the net, ‘I had you,’ so she’s right. I was probably a little bit lucky to get this win. Super happy to get through this.”
“I didn’t play my best tennis and she was crushing it like crazy. I was just trying to stay in the game and keep fighting for every point. But this match definitely goes into the book of craziest matches and the best matches of my career.”

Sabalenka is hoping to go one step better in Indian Wells than 12 months ago when she reached the final before losing to Elena Rybakina, who has pulled out of the tournament due to gastrointestinal issues. 

Awaiting the Belrussian in the next round will be Emma Raducanu in what will be the first meeting on the Tour. 

Elsewhere, Naomi Osaka posted a convincing 7-5, 6-3, win over world No.15 Luidmila Samsonova. It is the first time she has beaten a top 20 player since returning to competitive tennis following the birth of her child. 

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