INDIAN WELLS: Arina SabalenkaThe champion of the Australian Open defeated the American teenager Coco Gauff 6:4, 6:0 and entered the semifinals of the WTA and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Indian Wells on Wednesday.
Sabalenka is looking for a third title this year and her first after her win in Adelaide Grand helmet crown In Melbourne, the young American star needed just 64 minutes to set up a clash with two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or last year’s Indian Wells runner-up Maria Sakkari of Greece.
Sabalenka was in complete control of her serve, and her thunderous groundstrokes left Gauff with few options.
Belarus had five aces and a total of 18 winners. He did not face a break point and finished the match with three unreturned serves.
“It was a great match,” Sabalenka said. “I felt great on the court.
“I put a lot of pressure on her serve, so it was difficult, especially with her serve in the second set. It helped me win two sets.”
He avenged last year’s loss to Gauff in Toronto and closed the gap between them after losing three of their previous four matches. American.
“I didn’t think about our previous matches,” said Sabalenka. “I feel different on the field this year. I feel like a different player.
“I knew if I was going to put my tennis on the court today, I would have every chance to win this match.”
Gauff served half a dozen aces, 12 winners in all, but under intense pressure from Sabalenka, made 14 more unforced errors than her opponent.
Sabalenka’s next opponent will be a fight. Seventh-seeded Sakkari has needed three sets in all three matches so far, while former world number two, now ranked 15th, Kvitova saved four match points to beat third-seeded Jessica Pegula in the fourth round.
