- Aryna Sabalenka wins to 3rd round in Indian Wells.
- Aryna Sabalenka easily defeated Evgeniya Rodina by a score of 6-2, 6-0.
- Sabalenka defeated Rodina in just 65 minutes.
The Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka easily defeated Evgeniya Rodina on Friday by a score of 6-2, 6-0 to move to the third round of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters 1000.
Sabalenka defeated Rodina in just 65 minutes. Rodina was playing her eighth match since returning to competition at the US Open last year after taking three years off for a second maternity leave. Sabalenka was playing in just her second tournament since winning her first Grand Slam trophy in Melbourne in January.
Sabalenka said that she couldn’t even recall playing Rodina in Tashkent in 2017, but she was nevertheless happy to advance without incident in a competition where she had never advanced past the round of 16.
Alize Cornet of France was defeated by Russian Rodina in the first round with minimal opposition. Five of Sabalenka’s 12 break points were successful, and she avoided all four of them.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sabalenka is still unable to compete under the flag of her native Belarus. She will next face Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko, who defeated 29th-seeded Croat Donna Vekic 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Tsurenko has four WTA championships and advanced to the Thailand Open final in early February.
[embedpost slug=”aryna-sabalenka-qualified-for-2023-australian-open-semifinals/”]
