INDIAN WELLS: Spain’s Paula Badosa kept her BNP Paribas Open title defence on track Tuesday, holding off determined Canadian Leylah Fernandez to reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells.

Badosa, seeded fifth, saved five of the six break points she faced and kept last year’s US Open runner-up under pressure — converting three of her 12 break chances.

“Today was very tough,” said Badosa, who lifted the trophy last October in a tournament moved from its usual March date because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Leylah is an amazing player, very fast and good timing. I knew I had to fight and serve very well. I think I did that the entire match.”

Badosa is vying to become the first woman to win back-to-back Indian Wells titles since Martina Navratilova in 1990-91 and next faces Veronica Kudermetova, a 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 winner over Marketa Vondrousova.

World number four Iga Swiatek, the highest-ranked player remaining in the women’s field, rallied from a set down for a third straight match to book her quarter-final berth, beating crafty German veteran Angelique Kerber 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion, is coming off a title in Doha last month. The 20-year-old will face Madison Keys after the big-serving American sent British qualifier Harriet Dart packing with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Former world number one Simona Halep of Romania, seeded 24th, swept into the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over 26th-seeded compatriot Sorana Cirstea.

Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion is in the quarters for the fifth time at Indian Wells, where she lifted the trophy in 2015.

Halep will play Petra Martic for a place in the semi-finals. Croatia’s Martic beat Liudmila Samsonova 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

Sixth-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece advanced with a victory over Australian qualifier Daria Saville, who was trailing 4-1 when she retired with a left thigh injury.

Sakkari will play Elena Rybakina, who beat Viktorija Golubic 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.

In the men’s tournament, sixth-ranked Matteo Berrettini shook off mid-match doldrums to defeat South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 6-4, 7-5 to reach the Round of 16 while world number seven Andrey Rublev powered past American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4.

The 25-year-old Italian Berrettini, winner of five ATP titles but seeking his first Masters 1000 crown, is the second-highest ranked man left in the draw behind fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal.

He will be the favourite when he takes on Serb Miomir Kecmanovic, who defeated Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets on Tuesday, in the fourth round.

Rublev, 24, will face Hubert Hurkacz for a place in the quarter-finals with the 11th-ranked Pole ending the run of American Steve Johnson 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 earlier in the day.

Taylor Fritz survived a nearly three-hour battle with Jaume Munar before winning 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-2) , making him one of four American men still alive in the desert tournament.

Next up for Fritz in the fourth round is Australian Alex de Minaur, who was a 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 winner against American Tommy Paul.

American John Isner powered past Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3 and will next face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2022