“I knew at the beginning of the match that I had to be really focused. I had to start the match really strong, knowing it was going to be a really tough battle,” Alcaraz said
Carlos Alcaraz returns to Denis Shapovalov in Indian Wells, California, on Monday. Pic/AFP
Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz powered past in-form Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4 on Monday to continue his march toward a rare Indian Wells ATP Masters three-peat.
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The World No. 3 from Spain booked his place in the last 16 with a clinical victory, breaking Shapovalov in the opening game with a blistering forehand down the line as he roared to a 5-0 lead. Alcaraz said the quick start was key against an opponent coming off a title in Dallas and a semi-final run in Acapulco.
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“I knew at the beginning of the match that I had to be really focused. I had to start the match really strong, knowing it was going to be a really tough battle,” Alcaraz said.
The top five women’s seeds are all safely into the fourth round after victories for World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, third-ranked Coco Gauff and fifth-ranked Australian Open champion Madison Keys on Monday. Sabalenka said her 6-1, 6-2 victory over 62nd-ranked Lucia Bronzetti wasn’t as easy as it looked, thanks in part to the unpredictable Stadium Court wind.
Keys’ struggles were obvious, but the American who shocked Sabalenka in the Melbourne final gutted out a 6-2, 6-7 (8/10), 6-4 victory over Elise Mertens.
Gauff cleaned up her service game to pull off a 7-6 (7/1), 6-2 victory over Greece’s Maria Sakkari — who beat Gauff in the semi-finals last year on the way to a second Indian Wells final in three years.
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