WTA SCOREBOARD: The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells
BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells: The main draw for this 96-player, two week, seven round tourney has 32 seeds, with 32 1st-round byes. There are 12 qualifiers and 8 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying (2 rounds) starts on Monday, qualifying finals are on Tuesday. Main draw play begins on Wednesday.
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2012: On Monday, March 5 at Indian Wells, Urszula Radwanska & Julia Goerges did the player rep thing at the main draw ceremony... Meahwhile, across the continent at Madison Square Garden, NYC, 2011 IW champ Caroline Wozniacki & Maria Sharapova were playing an exhibition match, which Maria won 6-3, 6-4... At the Indian Wells press All Access Hour on Wednesday, 2nd seed Maria said "Nope, my wings aren't tired," and top seed Victoria Azarenka made faces indicating she didn't exactly mind being #1 this year...
row 2: Young ladies looking good at the player party on Thursday night included Sori Cirstea, 2008 IW champ Ana Ivanovic, Domi Cibulkova, Sloane Stephens, 2010 IW champ Jelena Jankovic, 2011 IW champ Caro Wozniacki, and current #1 Vika Azarenka...
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Indian Wells, 1st Rd, Wed-Thu 11am Mon WTA story 1 - 2
loser's prize: $7,709; points: 5
*n58 Vania King USA d n36 Sara Errani ITA 7-6(3), 6-4 Wed
Vania said: "I was happy with the way I played. I was a bit lucky to come back in the first set, but I focused point by point and felt I got better as it went on."
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n37 Mona Barthel GER d n146 wc Jill Craybas USA 6-1, 6-2 Wed
*n99 wc Jamie Hampton USA d n38 Polona Hercog SLO 6-0, 6-1 Wed
*n113 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP d n39 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 Thu
n40 Ksenia Pervak KAZ d n78 q Olga Govortsova BLR 6-3, 6-1 Thu
*n115 q Lesia Tsurenko RUS d n41 Shahar Peer ISR 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 Thu
n42 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d n77 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 6-2, 6-3 Thu
Ekaterina following a backhand
*n48 Sorana Cirstea ROU d n43 Iveta Benesova CZE 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) Wed
Sorana ready to swat a backhand
*n69 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP d n44 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 6-4, 6-2 Wed
n45 Jarmila Gajdosova AUS d n156 wc Coco Vandeweghe USA 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 Wed
Coco and Jarmila following forehands
*n52 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ d n46 Marina Erakovic NZL 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 Wed
n47 Chanelle Scheepers RSA d n106 Mathilde Johansson FRA 6-3, 6-3 Thu
n49 Tamira Paszek AUT d n64 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 Thu
n50 Simona Halep ROU d n160 q Shuai Zhang CHN 6-1, 6-1 Thu
Simona preparing to lightly tap a backhand
n51 Klara Zakopalova CZE d n93 Laura Pous-Tio ESP 6-1, 6-1 Wed
n53 Irina-Camelia Begu ROU d n59 Lucie Hradecka CZE 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 Thu
n54 Elena Vesnina RUS d n107 q Casey Dellacqua AUS 6-4, 7-5 Wed
n55 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d n81 q Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-4, 7-6(4) Thu
n56 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d n70 Ayumi Morita JPN 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 Wed
*n100 wc Irina Falconi USA d n57 Alexandra Dulgheru ROU 4-6, 5-2 retired—right knee injury Thu
Irina said: "It's a shame [Alexandra] had to retire. During the match I didn't want to think about it at all though. I wanted to maintain my composure and not really give anything away, and not think I'd have it easy. It's too bad she wasn't able to continue." WTA story
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*n73 Kimiko Date-Krumm JPN d n60 Pauline Parmentier FRA 6-1, 6-3 Wed
Kimiko driving a backhand
n61 Elena Baltacha GBR d n98 Arantxa Rus NED 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Wed
Elena said: "I'm very, very happy. To finish like that was great. I've made some changes recently and have been putting the new elements in my game into my matches. It was so nice to get a win under my belt today.
"I've done well at Indian Wells and when you do well at any tournament, you look forward to coming back. I'm happy to get another win here."
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*n75 Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP d n62 Alberta Brianti ITA 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(4) Thu
*n67 Johanna Larsson SWE d n65 q Greta Arn HUN 4-1 retired—neck injury Thu
*n221 wc Lauren Davis USA d n66 Petra Martic CRO 6-2, 7-6(7) Thu
n72 q Michaella Krajicek NED d n83 wc Urszula Radwanska POL 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 Wed
Misa said: "I'm feeling really good but very exhausted at the moment! The last time I played Urszula I was up a set and 6-5 with match point, then ended up winning in three sets, so I knew it would be really tough and she wasn't going to go away. Everyone here is really tough. I respect everyone playing here. I'm really relieved to win today, though, it could have gone either way."
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*n98 Gisela Dulko ARG d n76 Jelena Dokic AUS 1-0 retired—right wrist injury Thu
*n333 sr47 Timea Bacsinszky SUI d n79 Anne Keothavong GBR 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 Wed
Anne about to slice a backhand, and Timea driving one
*n85 q Varvara Lepchenko USA d n84 q Alexandra Panova RUS 7-6(3), 6-2 Thu
*n89 wc Sloane Stephens USA d n86 q Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) Wed
Sloane launching a forehand on the run
The match, last of the day on the main court, ran 3 hours, 12 minutes and 40 seconds. Sloane said: "I'm so happy right now. I had no idea it was such a long match, when I came off court I asked what time it was and was shocked. There weren't many people out there—I think my family tripled the attendance, I had aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents... but I love that court and it's always great to be out there. I didn't even feel the cold I was concentrating so hard. I'm just pleased I was able to stay focused to the end and keep positive, keep doing my thing."
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n95 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d n305 q Jessica Pegula USA 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 Thu
*n129 wc Sania Mirza IND d n115 q Kristina Barrois GER 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Wed
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Indian Wells, 2nd Rd, Fri-Sat 11am Fri WTA story 1 - 2 - Sat WTA story 1 - 2
loser's prize: $12,725; points: 50
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n37 Mona Barthel GER 6-4, 6(4)-7, 7-6(6) Fri
Mona and Victoria driving forehands
Victoria said: "[Mona] played some unbelievable tennis... I have to give her a lot of credit for making me not play well—she really stepped it up and showed some incredible strokes, serves... all the credit to her... She's definitely coming up, and very dangerous."
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n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n98 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-2, 6-0 Sat
Maria and Gisela driving forehands; note Gisela's more Western grip for more topspin
Maria said: "Gisela is always tricky—we've played a few times before, and she's beaten me at a major before. She's someone who, when you give her a lot of time, she creates good angles, has really good hands, and can become quite dangerous."
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n3 s3 Petra Kvitova CZE d n56 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE 6-1, 6-3 Fri
Petra said: "It's always tough to play Barbora because we're friends and she's very nice, but I'm happy how I played today. I knew my tactics coming into the match and did well. I'm feeling good about my game"
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n4 s4 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n42 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-2, 6-0 Sat
Caro after winning a point
Caroline said: "I don't like to be out there for too long if I don't have to. I mean, I like to play tennis and I love grinding it out, but if I have the opportunity to finish it off fast, I like that opportunity, as well."
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n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n48 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-2, 6-4 Fri
Agnieszka and Sorana driving forehand and backhand
n6 s6 Samantha Stosur AUS d n100 wc Irina Falconi USA 6-0, 6-3 Sat
Samantha driving a forehand
n7 s7 Marion Bartoli FRA d n85 q Varvara Lepchenko USA 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 Sat
Ambidextrous Marion's 2-handed "forehand" with backhand grip
n8 s8 Na Li CHN d n52 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 Fri
Na said: "I was always losing first round here the last few years and really didn't want to do it again. I played [Galina] in Fed Cup in China and it was also a tough match. At the beginning today she was hitting the ball so hard!"
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n9 s9 Vera Zvonareva RUS d n73 Kimiko Date-Krumm JPN 6-4, 6-4 Fri
Vera said: "Kimiko is such a great fighter, and even though she's probably the oldest player on the tour, she's one of the fittest. She's always a tough challenge and I'm really happy I overcame a slow start and finished it in two sets."
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n12 s10 Francesca Schiavone ITA d n115 q Lesia Tsurenko RUS 6-2, 6-4 Sat
*n113 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP d n13 s11 Sabine Lisicki GER 6-1, 6-4 Sat
Lourdes said: "I played really well today. Maybe it was easier for me than [Sabine], because it was my second match of the week, while for her it was her first—but my first match was very tough."
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*n99 wc Jamie Hampton USA d n14 s12 Jelena Jankovic SRB 6-4, 6-3 Fri
*n58 Vania King USA d n15 s13 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 6-4, 6-4 Fri
It was Vania's third straight win over Anastasia. Vania said: "The conditions were pretty difficult. I was kind of forcing at the beginning, then I started to slow it down and make [Anastasia] play more. I think that she doesn't like my game style—I think that's fair to say. She's obviously a great player. If I went into the match and played badly, I'd lose."
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n16 s14 Julia Goerges GER d n61 Elena Baltacha GBR 6-3, 6-2 Fri
n17 s15 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n67 Johanna Larsson SWE 6-1, 6-2 Sat
Johanna about to slice a backhand, and Ana driving one
Johanna defeated Ana at Roland Garros last year. Ana said: "I had a little bit of that match in my mind. I didn't play well that match so I knew I had a better chance this time around."
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n18 s16 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d n95 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 2-1 retired—gastrointestinal illness Sat
*n40 Ksenia Pervak KAZ d n19 s17 Shuai Peng CHN 6-4, 6-0 Sat
n20 s18 Angelique Kerber GER d n89 wc Sloane Stephens USA 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 Fri
Angelique driving a backhand, and Sloane following a forehand
*n51 Klara Zakopalova CZE d n21 s19 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-3, 6(7)-7, 6-3 Fri
Klara waiting to swat a backhand, and Daniela ready to slice one
Daniela was Indian Wells champion in 2002 and 2007.
Klara said: "I'm very happy because I played [Daniela] three times before and lost all of them. I expected a very tough match. The difference came in the third set when I was 2-0, 30-0 down, and I told myself I had to fight for every point. It worked and I'm so happy to be through to the third round."
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n22 s20 Maria Kirilenko RUS d n53 Irina-Camelia Begu ROU 7-6(4), 6-4 Sat
Maria following a backhand
n23 s21 Roberta Vinci ITA d n75 Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP 6-3, 6-3 Sat
*n45 Jarmila Gajdosova AUS d n24 s22 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 Fri
n25 s23 Lucie Safarova CZE d n49 Tamira Paszek AUT 6-3, 3-1 retired—right wrist injury Sat
n26 s24 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d n129 wc Sania Mirza IND 6-2, 7-5 Fri
n27 s25 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d n333 sr47 Timea Bacsinszky SUI 6-3, 2-0 retired—right forearm injury Fri
*n55 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d n28 s26 Monica Niculescu ROU 6-3, 6-3 Sat
n29 s27 Flavia Pennetta ITA d n69 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 6-3, 6-4 Fri
*n50 Simona Halep ROU d n30 s28 Petra Cetkovska CZE 6-2, 6-4 Sat
*n47 Chanelle Scheepers RSA d n31 s29 Kaia Kanepi EST 6-3, 6-2 Sat
Chanelle said: "Kaia started the year out very well but has been out for a while. I didn't know what to expect, exactly. It's hard for every player to play their first match back after a while or after an injury, but in the end you just try to focus on yourself, and try to do what you do best on the court.
"I thought I played really well today. My base game was very solid and I didn't give her any free points. I really tried to make her work for every point."
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n32 s30 Nadia Petrova RUS d n221 wc Lauren Davis USA 6-3, 6-2 Sat
n33 s31 Jie Zheng CHN d n72 q Michaella Krajicek NED 6-1, 6-3 Fri
n34 s32 Christina McHale USA d n54 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-3, 7-5 Fri
Christina about to slice a backhand, and Elena volleying a forehand
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Indian Wells, 3rd Rd, Sun-Mon 11am Sun WTA story 1 - 2 - Mon WTA story
loser's prize: $21,291; points: 80
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n27 s25 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-1, 6-2 Sun
Svetlana serving, and Victoria driving a backhand
It was Victoria's 19th consecutive match victory. She is undefeated this season. Victoria won 83% of her 1st serve points, and 67% of her 2nd serve points (Svetlana: 50% and 33%). Vika totaled 55 points in the match; Sveta, 28.
Victoria said: "I knew she was going to be dangerous. I know Sveta pretty well. We've practiced quite a few times and she has so much experience. She's a Grand Slam winner. I really had to step it up from my last match, and I'm glad I could perform much better than I did in that first match."
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n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n50 Simona Halep ROU 6-3, 6-4 Mon
Simona ready to swat a forehand, Maria driving one, and after match point
Maria led 6-3, 5-0, then dropped the next four games. Maria said: "I thought I played extremely well the first four or five games of the second set, almost too good in a way—then I felt I almost started going for a bit too much. Instead of being patient and putting a few more balls back, I hit a few errors and all of a sudden your opponent gains some confidence because they have nothing to lose. Kind of in a bad situation. I got it together in the end."
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*n34 s32 Christina McHale USA d n3 s3 Petra Kvitova CZE 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 Sun
Christina ready to slice a backhand
Petra is the fourth top 10 (and seventh top 20) player that upwardly mobile Christina has defeated. Her other biggest wins came against Caroline Wozniacki and Marion Bartoli last year, and Victoria Azarenka in 2010. She has also defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova, Andrea Petkovic, and Shuai Peng.
Christina said: "[In the 2nd set Petra] played one service game where she gave me a couple of loose errors, and then I just kind of kept hanging in there. It took me a while to get used to her big shots, but I definitely got a lot more comfortable as the match went on. It was definitely one of my biggest wins."
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n4 s4 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n55 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 Mon
Sofia driving a forehand, Caroline driving a backhand, and after match point
Caroline said: "I knew it would be a tough match. I have known Sofia since I was 12 or 13, we had the same sponsor and practiced and played together all the time, and she just came from a win in Memphis. But I fought for every point and made it through—I'm happy to be through this one."
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n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n29 s27 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-4, 6-2 Sun
Flavia reaching for a forehand, and Agnieszka driving a backhand
*n32 s30 Nadia Petrova RUS d n6 s6 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-1, 6(6)-7, 7-6(5) Mon
Samantha serving, and Nadia driving a backhand
Hammer-thrower's daughter Nadia struck 15 aces (7 in the 1st set) with 7 double faults, while winning 71% of her 1st serve points. Samantha, also a fine server, hit 2 aces, with 6 DFs, while winning 60% of her 1st serve points.
On her way to last year's US Open title, Samantha had defeated Nadia 7-6(5), 6(5)-7, 7-5 in the 3rd round. The 3 hour, 16 minute match was the longest women's contest in US Open history.
Nadia said: "After that loss in New York it was hard. I wanted to turn everything around. I wanted to win and walk off the court with a W.
"I don't really think I played unbelievable in the first set. My composure was perfect though. I took the time, no errors, and I must say Sam didn't play her best...
"Then she picked up her game in the middle of the second set. That's when she started to play Sam's game. On match point in the tie-break Sam served unbelievable right on the line. There was nothing I could have done.
"Then it was a tough battle in the third set." WTA story
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n7 s7 Marion Bartoli FRA d n47 Chanelle Scheepers RSA 6-2, 6-0 Mon
n8 s8 Na Li CHN d n33 s31 Jie Zheng CHN 6-2, 6-3 Sun
*n51 Klara Zakopalova CZE d n9 s9 Vera Zvonareva RUS walkover—illness Sun
*n25 s23 Lucie Safarova CZE d n12 s10 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-2 retired Mon
n16 s14 Julia Goerges GER d n26 s24 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-3, 6-4 Sun
Anabel and Julia driving backhands
Julia won 84% of her 1st serve points, and 50% of her 2nd serve points (Anabel: 58% and 45%). Julia totaled 69 points in the match; Anabel, 55.
Julia said: "Anabel played some really good tennis and we had long rallies. It was a tough match, but I just tried to stay focused and play my game, and just dictate when I could. At the end I was pretty happy to pull it out."
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n17 s15 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n40 Ksenia Pervak KAZ 6(8)-7, 6-3, 6-2 Mon
The match lasted 2 hours and 55 minutes. Ana said: "I really felt [Ksenia] was playing well today. Not one moment was I thinking about the score, I was just playing point by point and fighting. I felt like I could keep going and was really on such a high and adrenaline running through my body—I felt very good."
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*n23 s21 Roberta Vinci ITA d n18 s16 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 6(5)-7, 6-0, 6-4 Mon
n20 s18 Angelique Kerber GER d n58 Vania King USA walkover—illness Sun
n22 s20 Maria Kirilenko RUS d n113 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 Mon
Maria following a backhand
*n99 wc Jamie Hampton USA d n45 Jarmila Gajdosova AUS 6-2, 6(1)-7, 6-2 Sun
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Indian Wells, 4th Rd, Tue 11am WTA story 1 - WTA story 2 - WTA story 3
loser's prize: $43,250; points: 140
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n16 s14 Julia Goerges GER 6-3, 6-1
Julia and Victoria driving backhands, and Vika after match point
About her quarterfinal opponent, Agnieszka Radwanska, Victoria said: "We always have really tough battles and I'm looking forward to playing her again. Agnieszka's someone who always come up with something different. You can never really predict what she's going to do."
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n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n23 s21 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-2, 6-1
Roberta serving, and Maria driving a forehand
Maria will play her friend Maria Kirlenko in the quarterfinals. The two Marias were doubles partners until Sharapova stopped playing doubles (after she began winning WTA singles titles).
Maria Sharapova said: "We met for the first time a long time ago, in the junior days, probably under 12s or under 14s... We became friends pretty quickly. I don't know how it came about, if somebody introduced us, but we kind of hit it off."
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*n17 s15 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n4 s4 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-3, 6-2
Ana and Caroline driving forehands, Ana driving a backhand, and after match point
Ana said: "I'm really pleased the way I was aggressive, and how I just stayed in the match and played point by point. I did everything I should have done today... I knew I had to be aggressive and accept mistakes, because [Caroline] makes you play extra balls. I did that really well, and I served much, much better than I did in the last match."
Caroline said: "Ana just went on a roll. She started to hit the ball harder and it was going in, and I stepped back a little bit, and it gave her the time to do what she wanted. She just played better than me today."
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n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n99 wc Jamie Hampton USA 6-3, 4-6, 3-0 retired—cramping
Jamie and Agnieszka driving backhands
Agnieszka said: "I saw she was cramping when she fell down. It's always tough to have that, and it's even tougher to come back and play after that. It was too bad, because she has had some really good matches here and was playing some really good tennis. I was really in trouble in the second set today. Jamie hits the ball very well, she's very consistent, has a good serve and moves very well too. She was playing well today until the cramps."
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n7 s7 Marion Bartoli FRA d n25 s23 Lucie Safarova CZE 6-1, 6-4
Marion said: "I got injured in Doha a few weeks ago and it has been tough to come back, but I have been hanging on extremely well— especially in my first match here—and I'm playing better and better with each round now."
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n8 s8 Na Li CHN d n51 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-1, 6-0
Klara and Na driving forehand and backhand
Klara was 2-0 against Na prior to this match. Na said: "I was happy what I did on the court today because last time I played against her I lost easily, like 1 and 2. The way she hits the ball, so flat and so deep, I don't really like playing against it."
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n20 s18 Angelique Kerber GER d n34 s32 Christina McHale USA 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4)
Christina about to swat a backhand, and Angelique fielding a forehand on the fly
Angelique said: "Christina is a great player. It was very tough. I was trying to play my game, focus and just keep fighting for every point.
"I'm very happy to be in the quarterfinals—I think I'll have a little bit more confidence now after winning a match like this. Tomorrow I'll try to play my game and have fun as well."
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n22 s20 Maria Kirilenko RUS d n32 s30 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
Maria said: "I thought my game was awesome until 6-1, 5-1, but then Nadia started playing very well. I wasn't making any mistakes—she was playing very aggressively and running well too, and I was very surprised. But I made sure to stay focused and not get upset, and just start fighting again in the third set."
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Indian Wells, QFs, Wed-Thu noon
loser's prize: $100,000; points: 250
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-0, 6-2 Wed
Victoria serving, Agnieszka following a backhand, Vika driving one, and after match point
It was Victoria's 21st consecutive match victory; she is undefeated this season. Vika won 72% of her 1st serve points and 60% of her 2nd serve points, totaling 57 points in the match (Aga: 45%, 33%, 33 points). Vika now leads Aga 9-3 in career matches.
Victoria said: "I had very good motivation because I knew [Agnieszka is] a very good player. I have to play a very good match and show excellent tennis to beat her. I was focused on every moment, every point and every ball I was striking." WTA story
Agnieszka said: "If [Victoria] plays like that she's not going to lose any match soon. She has been on fire the last few months. She's very, very consistent, playing very good tennis from the first to the last ball."
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n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n22 s20 Maria Kirilenko RUS 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 Thu
Maria Sharapova serving, Maria Kirilenko driving a backhand, Maria S launching a forehand on the run, and after winning a point
Maria Sharapova struck 6 aces with 4 double faults, and scored on 7 of the 16 break points she reached against her compatriot. Maria Kirilenko, who seemed likely to win the match until the middle of the 2nd set, hit 3 aces, with 6 DFs, and converted 5 of 14 break points.
Maria Sharapova said: "She started very well, but it was a poor start from my end. She controlled most of the points and I was on the defense a lot, which created so many opportunities for her, and she gained a lot of confidence. When she took the break in the second set I was still just trying to find my rhythm.
"It was a little bit of everything, movement and playing-wise, but I started feeling better. Towards the end I really got my by groove back." WTA story
About her semifinal opponent, Ana Ivanovic, Maria said: "I enjoy playing [Ana]. She has a big game and big strokes. When she's on, she's really firing from all ends of the court. I'll try to have an eye on that. It's also really good to see her playing so well."
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*n17 s15 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n7 s7 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-3, 6-4 Thu
Ana serving, Marion and Ana driving backhands, and Ana after winning a point
Ana served 5 aces with 2 double faults, winning 83% of her 1st serve points and 59% of her 2nd serve points and scoring on 3 of 7 break point opportunities while totaling 59 points in the match (Marion: 2 aces, 4 DFs, won 69% 1st sv pts & 53% 2nd serve pts, total 47 pts).
Ana said: ""In the eighth game of the first set I really stepped up another notch, staying low and being aggressive with my feet—that was something I was lacking in the beginning. I really played well the next few games, then in the beginning of the second set I broke her straight away." WTA story
Marion was slowed by the flu that has affected many players this year at Indian Wells. Marion said: "I started not feeling very well last night. It's frustrating...But it's the way it is. And I still made the quarterfinals here, which is positive. Now I'll just try to recover before Miami."
Ana will play Maria Sharapova in the semifinals on Friday. Maria leads Ana 3-2 in career matches. They have not met since the final of the Australian Open in 2008, when, on a Plexicushion hardcourt, Maria defeated Ana 7-5, 6-3.
Ana said: "Has it been that long [since we played]? It's actually pretty amazing, I didn't think it was that long. [Maria] definitely still has the same style, really aggressive and goes for that first serve, and she obviously has a big serve—I think that has improved as well. It's going to be tough, but I want to focus on what I'm doing."
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*n20 s18 Angelique Kerber GER d n8 s8 Na Li CHN 6-4, 6-2 Wed
Angelique driving a backhand, Na and Angelique driving forehands, and Angelique after match point
Angelique said: "[Na] was playing very tough, so I just tried to move very well and hit deep, just play aggressive tennis... The last two matches I was match point down and won, so I knew I needed to be focused until the last point today." WTA story
Na was knocked out in the 1st round at Indian Wells last year. Na said: "This result isn't bad. I mean, I'm not losing first round here, so I was happy. I still have to go back to the court and work even harder for Miami now."
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Indian Wells, SFs, Fri 11am
loser's prize: $200,000; points: 450
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n20 s18 Angelique Kerber GER 6-4, 6-3
Victoria driving a forehand, Angelique and Victoria driving backhands, and Vika after winning a point
It was Victoria's 22nd consecutive match victory; she is undefeated this season. Vika won 70% of her 1st serve points (but only 25%% of her 2nd serve points), totaling 69 points in the match (Angelique: 56%, 32%, 54 points).
Victoria said: "I'm really impressed by the way Angelique was playing. It was the first time we played on the pro tour, so it was a little bit new for me, and she showed some excellent tennis. I think she's a great player and she really pushed me to raise my level and really dig to win that match." WTA story
Angelique said: "I had some chances, but she's a great player and plays very well in those moments... I was a little bit defensive and just put the ball in the court sometimes, and she played her game and made winners.."
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n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n17 s15 Ana Ivanovic SRB 6-4, 0-1 retired—left hip injury
Ana serving, Maria driving a forehand, the physio checking Ana's hip, and Ana telling Maria she cannot continue
Ana said: "I started to feel it in the middle of the first set. It just got gradually worse and worse. I found it hard to return at 3-4, I couldn't push off and get up. And then on my serve the next game I couldn't jump off my leg. I started to feel a lot of pain through my glute and couldn't load on my backhand side. After the treatment it was getting worse and worse rapidly. We taped it and I tried to continue, but I couldn't even stand there on my return.
"I'm very disappointed, because I felt like I was playing really good tennis and it was becoming a great match. We were pushing each other and both had been playing well from the first moment of the match." WTA story
Maria said: "It was unfortunate it had to end this way—towards the end of the second set we started playing really good, high quality tennis. I obviously would have loved to finish the match the right way."
About playing Victoria Azarenka in the final, Maria said: "[Victoria is] definitely the one to beat right now, someone that's playing with a lot of confidence and all the momentum in the world."
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Indian Wells, Final, Sun, 11am
loser's prize: $500,000; points: 700
winner's prize: $1,000,000; points: 1000
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS 6-2, 6-3
Victoria serving, Maria driving a backhand, Vika following one, and after match point
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Indian Wells, Doubles Final, Sat 3pm
losers' prize: $121,000
winners' prize: $241,010
cdr3 s1 Lisa Raymond & Liezel Huber d cdr15 s2 Sania Mirza & Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-3
Indian Wells, Qualifying Finals, Tue Mar 6 10am
losers' prizes: q1 $1,175 1pt; q2 $2,296 20pts; qualifier 30 points
n65 Greta Arn HUN d n162 Julia Cohen USA 6-0, 2-6, 6-4
n72 Michaella Krajicek NED d n92 Mandy Minella LUX 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
n78 Olga Govortsova BLR d n129 Andrea Hlavackova CZE 6-4, 6-1
n81 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d n201 Monica Puig PUR 7-6(1), 6-1
n84 Alexandra Panova RUS d n91 Stephanie Foretz Gacon FRA 6-2, retired
n85 Varvara Lepchenko USA d n103 Edina Gallovits-Hall ROU 6-1, 6-1
n86 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d n101 Anastasia Rodionova AUS 6-3, 6-1
*n115 Kristina Barrois GER d n88 Virginie Razzano FRA 6-3, 6-3
*n115 Lesia Tsurenko RUS d n102 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-3, 6-1
n107 Casey Dellacqua AUS d n127 Misaki Doi JPN 6-3, 6-3
*n160 Shuai Zhang CHN d n112 Alize Cornet FRA 2-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(3)
*n305 Jessica Pegula USA d n120 Paula Ormaechea ARG 6-2, 6-2
Indian Wells, Withdrawals/Non-entries
n10 Andrea Petkovic GER low back stress fracture
n11 Serena Williams USA long term dispute with tourney
n36 Kim Clijsters BEL left ankle injury
n114 Rebecca Marino CAN personal reasons
n321 sr59 Anna Chakvetadze RUS back injury
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. The previous owners were a group which included Charlie Pasarell and Raymond Moore (whose company, PM Sports Management, will continue to manage the tourney), George Mackin and Bob Miller of
magazine, the United States Tennis Association, and former players Pete Sampras, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King. As of this writing, the tourney's principal sponsor will remain European financial giant BNP Paribas.
This year's Indian Wells women's singles final will be held on (Easter) Sunday (same as the men's) with the doubles final on Saturday. Previously the women's singles final was held on Saturday and the women's doubles final on Sunday, "Grand Slam style."
: the current top 20 Women's Tennis rankings with player photos, links, and bio info.
