Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek both impressed as they stormed through to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Sunday.
World No 2 Alcaraz put in a commanding performance to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2 6-3 to extend his winning streak to eight matches in the desert.
Next up for the Spaniard is a fourth-round showdown with Fabian Marozsan, a chance for Alcaraz to avenge his shock defeat to the Hungarian last May in Rome.
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Alcaraz said his victory over Auger-Aliassime was ‘almost a perfect match’
“I think he didn’t get that many points with his serves. I think he lives with his serve,” Alcaraz said after winning 46 per cent of points (16-35) against the Canadian’s first serve.
“I put almost every return in, playing the point. I felt that I’m better than him from the baseline, putting some good points on the court and I think it went well. I played aggressive with less mistakes. I think it was almost a perfect match for me.”
‘These conditions appeal to Alcaraz’
Miles Maclagan on Sky Sports Tennis
“People have talked about the conditions here and the desert air but these are conditions that appeal to him. He was able to dominate his speed, turning points around, throwing in the drop shot and the odd serve-and-volley to keep Auger-Aliassime guessing and deny him any sort of rhythm.
“He gets through that one without expending too much energy.
“It’s not too early to say he’s a threat to get a hold of the title again.”
Tale of the Tape
N… See you soon!
What was behind Alcaraz’s cryptic message after his win?
Swiatek gets her revenge against Noskova
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Highlights of Iga Swiatek’s match with Linda Noskova
Swiatek – who lost to Czech teenager Linda Noskova in the same round at January’s Australian Open – was heading for a surprise exit again after falling 4-2 down in the first set.
But the top seed went on to win 10 games in a row to surge past the 19-year-old 6-4 6-0 and book a spot in the fourth round here for the fourth time.
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Swiatek said she was pleased to be back at Indian Wells after another impressive win
“I made some mistakes at the beginning. I tried to maybe play to finish the rallies too early,” Swiatek said afterwards. “But I knew that if I’m going to try to stay consistent and make a little bit less mistakes, my chances may come. So for sure wasn’t comfortable, but I was ready to break back.
“I had to kind of change some negative thoughts that I had into just thinking that I wasn’t thinking about just waiting for my chances. I knew that I’m experienced enough to just, you know, hold it together and not really let myself let these negative thoughts win. So I just did that.
“I think my game clicked a little bit more. I tried not to make these mistakes from faster rallies that we had, but actually we had a little bit less rallies, longer rallies later. So I just wanted to be consistent and use my advantages in the way this court works with my game.”
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Highlights of Stefanos Tsitsipas’ clash with Francis Tiafoe
Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas dominated No 18 seed Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-3 to move into the last 16.
Tsitsipas will now play the winner of the match between Russian Andrey Rublev and No 32 seed Jiri Lehecka.
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Highlights of Jannik Sinner’s win against Jan-Lennard Struff
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner claimed a 14th consecutive win in 2024 as he dispatched Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3 6-4.
The Italian has now won 52 out of his first 75 ATP Masters 1000 matches.
This century, only two players have claimed more wins from their first 75 Masters matches – Rafael Nadal (60) and Novak Djokovic (54).
“I played well and I served well under pressure,” said world No 3. “I also felt I returned quite well so overall I can be happy. I feel like I have confidence in my shots but some days I have good days and some days are bad.”
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Sinner felt he prepared really well for Struff’s challenge
Jasmine Paolini won another tight match against Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 3-6 6-4.
Paolini won the Dubai Championships two weeks ago, rallying to win a three-set final over Kalinskaya.
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Tennis fan RedFoo dances along to one of his songs during a break at Indian Wells
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