Top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek ran over their opposition to barge into the third round of the Indian Wells Women’s Tennis Association and Association of Tennis Professionals Masters 1000 on Saturday. Spanish world number two Alcaraz resumed his quest to regain the number one ranking from Novak Djokovic by shaking off Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 while women’s top seed Swiatek of Poland efficiently dispatched Claire Liu of the United States 6-0, 6-1. The domination of Alcaraz and Swiatek in their respective divisions cemented their status as top favorites in the competition and sports betting sites are taking notice of this.
Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek Dominate
Alcaraz lost just one point on his serve in the first serve and did not face a break point in the match en route to beating Kokkinakis in 76 minutes. The Spaniard showed no signs of the right hamstring injury that sidelined him for the Acapulco ATP tournament as he used his speed and power to overwhelm the Australian. The 19-year-old will next face Tallon Griekspoor in the third round. Griekspoor defeated Guido Pella of Argentina 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4). In the women’s side, Swiatek, who seeks to become the second woman after Martina Navratilova to win back-to-back Indian Wells titles in 1990 and 1991, took 65 minutes to demolish Liu. The Polish netter won 25 of 32 first-set points in her match against Liu. The American was able to save match point in the penultimate game by slipping a forehand under Swiatek’s guard. The victory handed Swiatek a third-round meeting with Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 Indian Wells and US Open winner. She defeated Peyton Stearns 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round.
Fritz, Murray Advance
Defending men’s singles champion Taylor Fritz defeated 41st-seed Ben Shelton in three sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Fritz will next face Sebastian Baez of Argentina for a spot in the round of 16. Holger Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Andy Murray also made it to the round of 32. Seventh-ranked Rune outplayed Mackenzie McDonald 7-5, 6-3 while Auger-Aliassime demolished Pedro Martinez 7-6 (7/5), 6-4. Murray, meanwhile, outclassed Radu Albot 6-4, 6-3. In the women’s side Tunisian fourth seed Ons Jabeur breezed past Poland’s Magdalena Frech 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 while Caroline Garcia, the fifth seed, beat Hungarian Dalma Galfi 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4. Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, runner-up at the Australian Open in January, beat former Aussie Open winner Sofia Kenin 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5). There is still one more week of competitive matches left in the tournament. Tennis picks and parlays are always updated for sports aficionados who want to enjoy live, world-class tennis action and earn bigger money at the same time.
