(Tennis news) In women’s singles, US Open champion Emma Raducanu lost in straight sets to Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Aliaksandra played clean shots as she had only four unforced errors after taking the first set in half an hour. In the second set, Raducanu looked to take the match to the decider with a 4-2 lead but Aliaksandra came back and took the next four games to send the newly crowned Grand Slam champion packing at Indian Wells. Aliaksandra defeated Raducanu 6-2, 6-4.
Leylah Annie Fernandez secured a hard hitting victory in her debut at Indian Wells. Leylah was in her usual aggressive mode as she took the first five games of the match to stun Alizé Cornet who managed two games in the first set. The story was no different in the second set as Leylah continued to punish the ball and her opponent to take the second set. Leylah finished with 24 winners and 26 unforced errors. Leylah defeated Cornet 6-2, 6-3.
Irina-Camelia Begu played top level tennis to upset Jil Teichmann for a second time in a row. Begu had last defeated Teichmann at the French Open last year in three sets but this time beat her in two sets. Begu only conceded a single game in the final set to complete a satisfying victory over the 31st seed. Teichmann defeated Begu 7-5, 6-1.
In men’s singles, Andy Murray was at his best when he took on Adrian Mannarino as there were dropshots, quick volleyes and the trademark lob by Murray. Murray took the first set in 40 mins and finished the match with a late drop shot from the backhand to set up a clash against teenager Carlos Alcaraz Garfia. Murray defeated Adrian 6-3, 6-2.
In a match filled with booming forehands and volleys, John Millman knocked out wildcard Jack Sock in a three set heavyweight battle. Sock had his powerful forehand which was the key to him winning points but Millman’s defense was equally good which took the match to the decider. The final set saw Sock break Millman’s serve early on the set but Millman came back with class and had the final laugh. Millman defeated Sock 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Jenson Brooksby played rocket forehands and backhands to beat qualifier Cem İlkel in two sets. Brooksby had a few roars whenever he unleashed fast ones across Cem, his backhand was steady along with the forehand. Cem tried to play aggressive but could not match Brooksby raw strength with the racquet. Brooksby defeated Cem 7-6(7-5), 6-4.
In men’s doubles, there was a battle of regular singles players as Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson defeated Diego Schwartzman and Llyod Harris 6-3, 6-7(7-2), 10-7.
Second seeds Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram had to struggle against a much lower ranked pair of Cameron Norrie and Luke Saville as the match went till the decider. In the final set Joe and Rajeev came close to an embarrassing defeat but won the match as Joe is in contention for a third consecutive title after the US Open and San Diego Open.
In women’s doubles, teenagers Leylah Fernandez and Cori Gauff were ruthless against Renata Voráčová and Irina-Camelia Begu in their opening match as they only lost a game in each set. Leylah and Cori defeated Renata and Begu 6-1, 6-1.
Top seeds and this year’s French Open doubles champion, Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková had a tough time in the first set against Jil Teichmann and Viktorija Golubic as they raced off to win the final two sets. Barbora and Kateřina defeated Teichmann and Golubic 6-7(6-8), 6-2, 10-2.
Also read: Martina Trevisan emerges victorious in one of the longest Women’s matches in Open era
