Indian Wells Masters 2024: Sabalenka overpowers Raducanu, Gauff advances to fourth round

Aryna Sabalenka’s powerful serve and groundstrokes proved too much for Emma Raducanu as the Australian Open champion reached the fourth round at Indian Wells with a 6-3, 7-5 victory.

Britain’s former Grand Slam champion Raducanu is trying to find her form after multiple surgeries last year and played well but was unable to seize her opportunities, converting just one of 10 break points in her first meeting with Sabalenka.

The Belarusian, bedeviled by double faults in the past, issued one on her first match point but kept her composure.

The world number two blasted a cross-court forehand winner on her fourth opportunity to seal the win under sunny skies in the California desert.

Sabalenka, who won her second straight Australian Open in January, will face either Ukrainian Elina Svitolina or American Emma Navarro in the Round of 16.

Coco Gauff did not play her best tennis but still managed to dispatch Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 7-6(5) in the American’s last singles match as a teenager.

Bronzetti made the third seed work but Gauff saved 10 of the 11 break points she faced to advance to the fourth round where she will battle Belgian Elise Mertens on her 20th birthday. Mertens defeated Japan’s Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-4.