(Tennis news) In men’s singles, Grigor Dimitrov reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells as the oldest player left on the draw with a timely win over world number 2 Daniil Medvedev. Dimitrov was lately struggling with his form but delivered an all round performance on court as his volley, backhand and forehand were shaped to perfection. After losing the first set, Dimitrov turned back the match by being the better player compared to Medvedev. Dimitrov defeated Medvedev 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Stefanos Tsitsipas rallied hard to secure his fourth victory this year against Alex de Minaur. The first was a battle of loud celebrations as both of them were expressing their emotions along with the crowd. Alex's defense game is on the rise as he somehow recovered the ball from his end no matter how well it was placed by the Greek god. The first two games needed tiebreakers but the final game saw Tsitsipas taking the lead early and finishing with a let's go celebration in the end. Tsitsipas defeated Alex 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
Alexander Zverev halted a three match losing streak to Gael Monfils with a dominating win which came in an hour. Zverev looked calm and steady as he played against a tired Monfils who could not produce his earlier form against Kevin Anderson. Zverev took the first four games of the opening set under 25 minutes and in the second set there was mild resistance from Monfils as he was smiling at the net when the match ended. Zverev defeated Monfils 6-1, 6-3.
In women’s singles, Jeļena Ostapenko managed a miraculous comeback in the final set to win against Shelby Rogers at the Indian Wells quarterfinal match. Jelena took the first set with sliced forehands and clean dropshots as Rogers took the second set with her powerful forehand. Rogers hit two winners of Jelena’s serve in the third game as the match went till the decider, in the final set Rogers had a 3-1 lead and was about to take the fifth game as she was up 40-0 until Jelena made a comeback by winning five consecutive games. Jelena defeated Rogers 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Victoria Azarenka is still on course for a third title as she beat Jessica Pegula in straight sets. Azarenka won the first set in 46 minutes as she denied a late comeback by Jessica, the rallies were long in the match as experienced Azarenka had to hang in there to overcome Jessica. In the second set there was a long opening game as Azarenka broke Jessica’s serve and Jessica broke Azarenka’s serve in the next game. Jessica took the next game which was her last as Azarenka took the next five games for victory. Azarenka defeated Jessica 6-4, 6-2.
In men’s doubles, top seeds Mate Pavić and Nikola Mektić were upset by Filip Polášek and John Peers. Filip and John converted their three breakpoints as Mate and Filip failed to convert any in the match. Filip and John defeated Pavic and Mektic.
Michael Venus and Tim Pütz joined Filip and John as they won their match against 5th seeds Horia Tecău and Kevin Krawietz. Michael and Venus defeated Horia and Kevin 6-4, 6-2.
In women’s doubles, Elena Rybakina and Veronika Kudermetova beat Lucie Hradecká and Marie Bouzková in a three set contest. The first two sets had identical scores as both of them slammed each other but in the final set Elena and Veronika gained the upper hand to take the match. Elena and Veronika defeated Marie and Lucie 1-6, 6-1, 10-3.
The Japanese pair of Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara set up a semifinal clash with second seeds Elise Mertens and Hsieh Su-wei as they defeated Makoto Ninomiya and Sabrina Santamaria in straight sets. In the first set, the third seeds proved no match for Makoto and Sabrina but in the second set a tie break was needed as it looked like they were on course for a decisive set. In the tiebreak, Shuko and Ena raced off from the start to take the match. Shuko and Ena defeated Makoto and Sabrina 6-1, 7-6 (7-2).
