Women's BNP Paribas Open: Angelique Kerber keeps rolling at Indian Wells
Angelique Kerber, who reached the final at Indian Wells as recently as 2019, won her third match this year at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday to move into the Round of 16.
The 6-4, 7-5 win over Veronika Kudermetova has Kerber, the German Grand Slam champion, on her best run since her return to the World Tour following the birth of her daughter last year.
Kerber, a former No. 1 in the world, will play the winner of Caroline Wozniacki and Katie Volynets. She entered this tournament unseeded, but has looked as sharp as she has in the past, losing just one set in three matches.
"It's another important match win for me, for sure, and gives me confidence for the next rounds," Kerber said. "I think on a good way to playing again good tennis against the best players."
Yulia Putintseva def. Madison Keys (18)
Playing in Indian Wells for the 11th time, Madison Keys continues to be snake-bitten in the desert. The farthest the American has ever advanced at the BNP Paribas Open is a quarterfinal run in 2022 and a fourth-round appearance in 2017. Other than that, she's been knocked out in the second or third round, and it was the third round where she was knocked this year.
Putintseva, an unseeded player who took down the No. 15 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the previous round, was in firm control of the match, rolling to a 6-4, 6-1 victory. Up next for Putintseva is a matchup with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who beat Linda Noskova 6-4, 6-0 on Sunday.
Iga Swiatek flips switch, rolls past Czech player who knocked her out of Australian Open
Jasmine Paolini (13) def. Anna Kalinskaya (21)
These two are starting one of the best budding rivalries in tennis. They met two weeks ago in the championship match in Dubai, which Paolini won in a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 classic. On Sunday they played another long, dazzling match, with Paolini winning again, this time 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Anastasia Potapova (28) def. Nadia Podoroska
Taking advantage of the part of the draw vacated by defending champion Elena Rybakina withdrawing, Potapova made quick work of lucky loser Podoroska. She advanced easily into the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-1 win. Next up is a matchup with Paolini on Tuesday.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (22) def. Beatriz Haddad Maia (12)
In the women’s nightcap match, 22nd-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia came from down a set to upset 12th-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, to advance to the Round of 16.
Pavlyuchenkova, 32, beat Haddad Maia earlier this year in Adelaide, Australia and beat 13th-ranked Dara Kasatkina of Russia and eighth-ranked Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic on her way to reaching the semifinals in Doha last month.
Pavlyuchenkova will face 31st-seeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine next.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: BNP Paribas Open: Angelique Kerber, Jasmine Paolini win on women's side
