Jannik Sinner defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia 6-3 6-0 to advance to the Indian Wells third round and increase his winning streak to 13 matches this season. On Friday, Andy Murray lost while the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz made progress.
Under bright but windy skies in the California desert, Sizzling Sinner maintained his heat on center court, fending off a break point at 2-2 in the opening set with a forehand winner and breaking serve for a 5-3 lead.
The Australian Open winner never looked back after taking the first set, dropping just five games in the second set to secure a clash with either Croatian Borna Coric or 25th seed Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round.
Sinner maintained that he is not unbeatable even if he has won 26 of his last 27 games.
Telling reporters, “I’m not unbeatable, I’m just well-prepared,”
“I put a lot of effort into achieving this position. Of course, everyone aspires to win a Grand Slam, so it’s a position you dream of, but when you come here, the conditions are different, so you have to figure something out.”
In the first set against the seasoned Scot, Rublev committed a lot of mistakes and had to save four set points while the Stadium 2 crowd cheered him on.
However, Rublev used his forehand to find his range, winning the second set 7-6(3) 6-1. In the third round, the Russian will play Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic, the 32nd seed.
“I was fortunate to win the first set despite his numerous opportunities. It would have been quite difficult if I had lost it, Rublev remarked.
“After the first set, I felt more confidence and I knew that it would be even tougher for Andy to keep up his consistency.”
With a 6-7(5) 6-0 6-1 victory over Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi, second seed Carlos Alcaraz got his dreams of a title defense in the California desert off to a victorious start.
A year earlier, the Spaniard won the Indian Wells title without dropping a set. However, he gave the opening set to an enthused Arnaldi in the center court under the lights by dumping a backhand into the net.
But Alcaraz quickly settled into a groove and began to play the forceful and inventive tennis that has made him a beloved player and two-time Grand Slam champion.
“During the first set, I felt anxious,” Alcaraz said to the press.
That causes me to move differently or less energetically at different times. However, the situation was completely different in the second and third sets.
“My good game comes out when my energy is so high,” he stated.
The sixth-seeded Alexander Zverev and the eleventh-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas both advanced in straight sets, while Ben Shelton, a rising American, defeated Czech Jakub Mensik 4-6 6-3 6-4 in other second-round action.