Aryna Sabalenka plays with less drama in third-round win at BNP Paribas Open
In a grueling opening match Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka said it took some magic for her to pull off a three-set victory over Peyton Stearns.
Sabalenka didn't need nearly as much magic Monday, winning her third-round match over Emma Raducanu in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. Raducanu was bidding for her first top-10 victory on tour.
Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed in the women's draw, handled Raducanu in the first set easily on Stadium 1 of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, then held off the former U.S. Open champion in the second set to advance to the fourth round.
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"She's an incredible player and she played great tennis today, even though she didn't play much matches in the past couple of months," Sabalenka said of Raducanu. "But still, I know that the level is there, and she can play some great tennis. But on those key moments, I was focusing on myself and things that I have to do on court to be in this match, and I think it's worked well."
Sabalenka used her powerful serve to an advantage in the match, recording eight aces to just one for Raducanu. Raducanu had four double faults compared to just two for Sabalenka. Sabalenka also played better on the bigger points, saving nine of 10 break points while Raducanu saved just four of seven break points against her serve.
Momentum from big win
Sabalenka gave some credit to her win Monday to the fight she put up in beating Sterns on Saturday. Sterns won the first set of that match in a tiebreaker, but Sabalenka forced a third set and survived a tiebreaker there to avoid an early exit from Indian Wells.
"I didn't want that to happen (Saturday), but still, I'm very proud of myself that I didn't give up in that situation and I was fighting like crazy, and I was able to win that match," Sabalenka said. "It definitely gives you more confidence moving forward. You know, like in this tough situation like today in the last game, I was just telling myself, like, listen, you came back after such a tough score, like, you can handle this one. Come on, just keep it going, keep fighting, and you will get this win."
The two tough match wins may show a new confidence for Sabalenka, known for hammering shots but not always having those shots land within the court. Now, she says, she feels her shots will produce big points.
"The biggest change was that mentally I changed a lot, and that allows me to focus on myself on those points," she said. "You know, instead of try to overdo things, thinking, like, I have to do something extra during this point, it's very important point. I'm not putting that pressure on myself. Yeah, it's just another point. And I just have to keep doing what I was doing the whole match, and I'm going to get this point."
Sabalenka will now face Emma Navarro, who upset 23rd-seed Elina Svitlolina in a late Monday match.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Aryna Sabalenka plays with less drama in third-round win at BNP Paribas Open
