INDIAN WELLS – Proper preparation and just being “ready”, that was how Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek led the charge into the third round of the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters with identical runaway scorelines on March 8.
But there was no joy for former world No. 1 Andy Murray, who suffered a 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 loss to fifth seed Andrey Rublev.
Australian Open champion Sinner dominated Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-0 while women’s world No. 1 Swiatek did the same to American Danielle Collins.
Italy’s Sinner, seeded third, had backed up his debut Grand Slam title in Melbourne by winning the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam in February.
He remains undefeated this season and completed a 13th consecutive victory while improving to 4-0 over Kokkinakis.
But, despite winning 26 of his past 27 matches, Sinner insisted he is not invincible.
“I’m not unbeatable, I’m just well-prepared,” he said. “I worked really hard to be in this position.
“Obviously it’s a position you dream of because winning a Grand Slam, that’s everyone’s dream, but you travel here, the conditions are different and then you have to find a way somehow.”
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain got off to a stuttering start in his Indian Wells title defence but turned the tables to beat Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 6-1.
German sixth seed Alexander Zverev opened his week with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Australian Christopher O’Connell.
His compatriot Angelique Kerber lifted the tempo of her maternity return as she upset fellow Grand Slam winner Jelena Ostapenko 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
The 34-year-old, who became a mum last summer and returned in January, won two consecutive matches for the first time since Wimbledon two years ago.
Swiatek, the 2022 Indian Wells champion and the 2023 Roland Garros winner who will start her 94th week leading the WTA rankings next week, broke Collins four times and wrapped up victory on her second match point.
“I’m happy I started the tournament well because first rounds are never easy,” the Polish star said.
“Danielle hits the ball hard, I’m happy I went through. I wanted to be ready for anything, I didn’t give her a chance, the small differences matter a lot.”
Reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova also advanced with ease, beating American Bernarda Pera with the loss of just two games. The Czech took just 64 minutes to dispatch Pera 6-0, 6-2.
But Elena Rybakina’s title defence ended without a ball struck as the Kazakh world No. 4 withdrew before her scheduled opener with a gastrointestinal issue.
Off the court, Murray said he still plans to bring the curtain down on his illustrious career this summer and expressed frustration at repeatedly being asked about it.
The 36-year-old has said he would not play beyond an “unspecified date” this summer. But whether that means he will hang up his racket for good after Wimbledon, the Paris Olympics or possibly the US Open, remains to be seen.
“I feel like no one is listening to me,” he said. “I’m planning on finishing in the summer.
“I don’t know what more I’m supposed to say. It’s obviously something I have thought about, but, you know, I hadn’t made a decision on.” AFP, REUTERS
