INDIAN WELLS:
American Taylor Fritz will face compatriot Ben Shelton or Italian Fabio Fognini as she begins the defense of her title this week in Indian Wells, while top-ranked Iga Sviatek could face 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu in the third round.
Fritz battled through agonizing pain to end Rafa Nadal’s 20-match winning streak and claim his first Masters 1000 title last year and will be hoping for another storybook finish after the main draw is announced on Monday.
Facing a depleted men’s field, Fritz could face Denmark’s Holger Runa in the quarterfinals. Seventh-ranked Rooney also won his first Masters title in Paris last year, ahead of 22-time winner Novak Djokovic.
Daniil Medvedev, who won his third straight title in Dubai this month, will face third-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway in the last eight, while Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz could meet Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. quarters.
World number one Djokovic withdrew from the tournament on Sunday, while Nadal, who aggravated a hip problem in his second-round loss at the Australian Open and has not played since, is also out.
On the women’s side, Switek looks set to collect a second straight Southern California title after winning during a blockbuster undefeated streak a year ago.
She could face WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia in the quarter-finals after starting her campaign against American Claire Liu or Belgium’s Alison van Uytvanck, with Canada’s Andreescu also receiving a first-round bye.
After her first Grand Slam win in Australia, second seed Aryna Sabalenka will face either Alize Cornet or Evgenia Rodina to open the tournament. She has a chance to exact some revenge on her potential fourth-round opponent Barbora Krejcikova as the 2021 French Open winner ended her 13-match winning streak in Dubai last month.
