Sinner, Sabalenka make dominant starts in quest for first Indian Wells titles

World number two Jannik Sinner overwhelmed Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina 6-1, 6-1 on Friday to launch his bid for a first Indian Wells hardcourt crown.

Sinner, back in the California desert after missing last year’s edition serving a drugs suspension, controlled every aspect of the 64-minute contest in which he faced just one break point.

After Svrcina held serve for 1-1 in the first set, Sinner won nine straight games before Svrcina managed another hold. The Czech fought valiantly to force Sinner to serve it out, saving three match points in the final game before Sinner closed it with one more service break.

It was an auspicious start to a tournament in which the four-time Grand Slam champion’s best runs ended in semi-final defeats to Carlos Alcaraz.

This year he can’t meet top-seeded Alcaraz — or third-seeded five-time champion Novak Djokovic — until the final.

“I feel mentally I’m in a good place,” said Sinner, who lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open and was surprised by Jakub Mensik in the quarters at Doha last month.

“I’m calm, I’m relaxed. But I’m also very happy to compete. We did a lot of work. Many, many hours on court. Many hours in the gym. I’m trying to get a little bit stronger.”

Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka, also chasing a first title in the prestigious ATP/WTA Masters 1000 event, opened in similarly dominant style, beating Japanese qualifier Himeno Sakatsume 6-4, 6-2.

Sabalenka showed no sign of rust in her first tournament since a runner-up finish to Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open.

“I’m really happy with the way I was serving, with the way I was putting her on the back foot,” said Sabalenka, who has twice reached the Indian Wells final but lost to Rybakina in 2023 and to Mirra Andreeva last year.

A nervous Sakatsume, ranked 136th, dropped her serve in the opening game but steadied after saving four break points to hold in the fifth.

Even so, she had no real answer to the Belarusian’s power and the lone break was enough for Sabalenka to seize the opening set.

After Sakatsume held serve to open the second, Sabalenka won five straight games, closing out the match without facing a break point.

Men’s fourth-seed Alexander Zverev also sailed into the third round, beating Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-4 without facing a break point.

It was an encouraging start for the German, who fell in his opening match last year and has never made it past the quarter-finals in the California desert.

“I have struggled in Indian Wells before, but I feel different this year,” he said.

Hungarian veteran Marton Fucsovics pulled the first big upset, ousting fifth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-1.

It was another disappointing setback for Musetti, who was playing his first tournament since he retired with a right leg injury while leading 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic by two sets in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Americans fight through

Home hopes Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff had to battle into the third round.

Ailing eighth seed Shelton clawed out a 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 victory over Reilly Opelka in an all-American clash.

Women’s fourth seed Gauff rallied from two breaks down in the second set for a 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) victory over qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova.

Rakhimova, ranked 88th, served for the second set three times, wasting one set point. She led Gauff 5-4 in the tiebreaker before the American reeled off the last three points.

“I think I got a little bit passive in the second set and a little lazy with the footwork,” Gauff said. “Then I was able to pick it up.”

Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka, seeded 16th in her first tournament since withdrawing from the Australian Open with an abdominal injury, defeated qualifier Victoria Jimnez Kasintseva 7-5, 6-2.