Alcaraz shines in Indian Wells third round as Gauff and Keys spearhead American charge
Carlos Alcaraz continued his pursuit of a third consecutive title at Indian Wells with a commanding 6-2, 6-4 victory over Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the third round on Monday. Several American players also capitalized on the support of the home crowd to advance to the round of 16.
The second-seeded Spaniard demonstrated his dominance by winning the first five games, delivering over ten winners in the opening set, while Shapovalov, coming off a confident victory in Dallas, struggled to maintain his usual level of intensity.
The four-time Grand Slam champion faced no break points in a nearly impeccable second set, concluding the match with a love hold in the final game and finishing the contest in under 90 minutes with a powerful overhead smash.
"I knew at the beginning of the match that I had to be really focused. I had to start the match really strong, knowing it was going to be a really tough battle," said Alcaraz.
Alcaraz wants to become only the third man to win three straight titles at the Masters 1000 tournament after retired great Roger Federer and former number one Novak Djokovic, who crashed out in the second round.
"I'm just really pleased about my performance today, about everything I have done," said Alcaraz. "Few things that I have to improve, but I'm really happy."
Alcaraz is set to compete against Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16, following the Bulgarian 14th seed's victory over Frenchman Gael Monfils, which concluded with scores of 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 after a grueling three-hour match.
Dimitrov, who plays right-handed, was leading 3-1 in the third set when he accidentally struck his left thumb with a forehand, resulting in a bleeding injury. Despite receiving medical attention, he lost the subsequent three games but managed to rally back, ultimately forcing a tiebreak to secure his win.
In another match, Belarusian world number one Aryna Sabalenka showcased her formidable serve, decisively defeating Italian Lucia Bronzetti with a score of 6-1, 6-2. This performance marked a return to form for Sabalenka after her earlier disappointments at the Qatar Open and in Dubai.
Sabalenka quickly established control, racing through the first set and recovering effectively after an early service break in the second. She is scheduled to face British lucky loser Sonay Kartal in her next match.
"It wasn't as easy as the score looks like. It was tough conditions out there, and happy with the way I managed that," she said.
Competitors faced challenging winds in the California desert, where American players Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton provided the home crowd with exciting third-round triumphs.
Third-seeded Gauff managed to conquer her late-game anxiety, defeating Greek player Maria Sakkari with a score of 7-6, 6-2. Despite committing six double faults in the final game, she secured her victory on her sixth match point with a decisive forehand winner.
"Except the last game I thought I played a great match. Just trying to look at the positives," said Gauff, who had revenge on her mind after losing to Sakkari in the semi-final last year.
"Obviously I was a bit disappointed with the last game but that's just the perfectionist in me."
She will next play Swiss Belinda Bencic, whom she has beaten twice before, most recently in the round of 16 in Melbourne this year.
"It was a bit tricky conditions. I think we were both struggling a little bit with finding the rhythm, and I was just trying to stay solid on my end of the court," said Gauff.
Recently crowned Australian Open champion Madison Keys successfully defended against 12 of the 15 break points she encountered, ultimately defeating Belgian Elise Mertens with a score of 6-2, 6-7, 6-4, thereby achieving her 14th consecutive match victory.
The fifth seed, who had previously lost to Mertens in their last two encounters, delivered five aces, paving the way for a fourth-round clash with Croatian Donna Vekic. Keys expressed that she has begun to anticipate a higher standard of performance from herself following her first major title.
"Overall in Australia I played some really good tennis, and I think the further away from it you get, the more you kind of forget about the lulls of matches and the moments where you weren't playing great," said Keys.
"As great as Australia was and all the wins that I got, there were still some moments in matches where I didn't play great or things got away from me. So just being really conscious of that."
The 2022 champion Fritz managed to recover from a sluggish beginning to secure a victory over Chilean Alejandro Tabilo with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. He expressed anticipation for a challenging match against Briton Jack Draper, who dampened the spirits of the American crowd by defeating local favorite Jenson Brooksby in straight sets.
"It's going to be a tough match. I think it's a tough draw to get him in the round of 16 as a top-four seed. He's a very good player," said Fritz.
"I think he's probably better than his ranking is, and yeah, we have had some tight ones."
Twenty-two-year-old Shelton energized the audience as he showcased his strength and composure, overcoming Karen Khachanov with a score of 6-3, 7-5, despite contending with blisters on his hand.
After trailing by a break in the second set, Shelton rallied to secure the last four games of the match, concluding it with one of his eight aces, which was met with an enthusiastic cheer from the crowd. He is set to face fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the round of 16.
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