World quantity two Jannik Sinner overwhelmed Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina 6-1, 6-1 on Friday (March 6, 2026) to launch his bid for a primary Indian Wells hardcourt crown.
Sinner, again within the California desert after lacking final 12 months’s version serving a medicine suspension, managed each facet of the 64-minute contest by which he confronted only one break level.
After Svrcina held serve for 1-1 within the first set, Sinner received 9 straight video games earlier than Svrcina managed one other maintain. The Czech fought valiantly to drive Sinner to serve it out, saving three match factors within the closing recreation earlier than Sinner closed it with another service break.
It was an auspicious begin to a match by which the four-time Grand Slam champion’s greatest runs led to semi-final defeats to Carlos Alcaraz.
This 12 months he can’t meet top-seeded Alcaraz — or third-seeded five-time champion Novak Djokovic — till the ultimate.
“I really feel mentally I’m in a great place,” mentioned Sinner, who misplaced to Djokovic within the semi-finals of the Australian Open and was shocked by Jakub Mensik within the quarters at Doha final month.
“I’m calm, I’m relaxed. However I’m additionally very joyful to compete. We did plenty of work. Many, many hours on court docket. Many hours within the fitness center. I’m attempting to get a bit of bit stronger.”
Girls’s world primary Aryna Sabalenka, additionally chasing a primary title within the prestigious ATP/WTA Masters 1000 occasion, opened in equally dominant type, beating Japanese qualifier Himeno Sakatsume 6-4, 6-2.
Sabalenka confirmed no signal of rust in her first match since a runner-up end to Elena Rybakina on the Australian Open.
“I’m actually proud of the way in which I used to be serving, with the way in which I used to be placing her on the again foot,” mentioned Sabalenka, who has twice reached the Indian Wells closing however misplaced to Rybakina in 2023 and to Mirra Andreeva final 12 months.
A nervous Sakatsume, ranked 136th, dropped her serve within the opening recreation however steadied after saving 4 break factors to carry within the fifth.
Even so, she had no actual reply to the Belarusian’s energy and the lone break was sufficient for Sabalenka to grab the opening set.
After Sakatsume held serve to open the second, Sabalenka received 5 straight video games, closing out the match with out dealing with a break level.
Males’s fourth-seed Alexander Zverev additionally sailed into the third spherical, beating Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-4 with out dealing with a break level.
It was an encouraging begin for the German, who fell in his opening match final 12 months and has by no means made it previous the quarter-finals within the California desert.
“I’ve struggled in Indian Wells earlier than, however I really feel completely different this 12 months,” he mentioned.
Hungarian veteran Marton Fucsovics pulled the primary huge upset, ousting fifth-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-1.
It was one other disappointing setback for Musetti, who was enjoying his first match since he retired with a proper leg harm whereas main 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic by two units within the Australian Open quarter-finals.
People combat by means of
Residence hopes Ben Shelton and Coco Gauff needed to battle into the third spherical.
Ailing eighth seed Shelton clawed out a 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 victory over Reilly Opelka in an all-American conflict.
Girls’s fourth seed Gauff rallied from two breaks down within the second set for a 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) victory over qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova.
Rakhimova, ranked 88th, served for the second set thrice, losing one set level. She led Gauff 5-4 within the tiebreaker earlier than the American reeled off the final three factors.
“I believe I bought a bit of bit passive within the second set and a bit of lazy with the footwork,” Gauff mentioned. “Then I used to be in a position to decide it up.”
Japanese famous person Naomi Osaka, seeded sixteenth in her first match since withdrawing from the Australian Open with an stomach harm, defeated qualifier Victoria Jimnez Kasintseva 7-5, 6-2.
Revealed – March 07, 2026 08:05 am IST
