World No. 2 Jannik Sinner beat Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina 6-1, 6-1 on Friday to begin his bid for his first Indian Wells hard-court title.
Sinner, who returned to the California desert after missing last year due to a drug suspension, controlled every aspect of the 64-minute match and faced just one break point.
advertise
After Svsina held serve at 1-1 in the first set, Sinner won nine consecutive games, and then Svsina held serve again. The Czech fought hard and forced Sinner to serve out the set, saving three match points in the final game before Sinner ended the match with another break of serve.
It was an auspicious start to the tournament, with the four-time Grand Slam champion’s best result coming in the semi-finals when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
This year, he was unable to meet top-seeded Alcaraz or third-seeded five-time champion Novak Djokovic until the final.
“I feel like I’m in a good place mentally,” said Sinner, who lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals and surprised Jakub Mencic in the quarterfinals in Doha last month.
advertise
“I’m calm, relaxed. But I’m also happy to be playing. We’ve done a lot of work. A lot of time on the court. A lot of time in the gym. I’m trying to get a little bit stronger.”
Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka, also chasing her first title at the prestigious ATP/WTA Masters 1000 event, started in the same dominant style, defeating Japanese qualifier Himeno Sakazu 6-4, 6-2.
Sabalenka showed no signs of rust in her first match since finishing runner-up to Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open.
“I was really happy with the way I served and the way I put her at a disadvantage,” Sabalenka said. She has reached the Indian Wells final twice but lost to Rybakina in 2023 and Mira Andreeva last year.
advertise
Sakazu, ranked 136th, nervously lost his serve in the first set but stabilized the situation after saving four break points to hold on to the fifth set.
Even so, she couldn’t really deal with the Belarusian’s power, and a single break was enough for Sabalenka to take the first set.
After Sakazu held serve in the second set, Sabalenka won five consecutive games and ended the game without facing a break point.
Men’s fourth seed Alexander Zverev also entered the third round smoothly, defeating Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-4 without facing a break point.
It was an encouraging start for the German, who failed miserably in his first match last year and has never made it past the quarterfinals in the California desert.
advertise
“I’ve struggled in Indian Wells before, but this year I feel different,” he said.
Hungarian veteran Marton Fucsovics took the lead in an upset, knocking out fifth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-1.
It was another disappointing setback for Musetti, playing his first match since retiring with a right leg injury and coming off a two-set lead over 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
– Americans fought to the end –
Holm expects Ben Shelton and Coco Goff to have to go into the third round.
The eighth-seeded Shelton, who was out of shape, defeated Riley Opelka 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in an all-American match.
advertise
Women’s fourth seed Gauff rallied after breaking serve twice in the second set to defeat qualifier Kamila Rashimova 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).
Rahimova, ranked 88th, served three times in the second set and wasted a set point. She led Gauff 5-4 in the tiebreaker before the U.S. took the final three points.
“I thought I was a little passive in the second set and a little lazy with my footwork,” Gauff said. “Then I can pick it up.”
Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka participated in the Australian Open as the 16th seed for the first time after withdrawing from the Australian Open due to an abdominal injury. She defeated qualifier Victoria Jimnes Kasintseva 7-5, 6-2.
BB/RCW