A place in the last 16 is at stake on Day 6 of the BNP Paribas Open as third-round action is completed, with defending champion Paula Badosa, two-time winner Victoria Azarenka and US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez all in action. Here are six matches to circle on the schedule.
[5] Paula Badosa (ESP) vs. [32] Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP)
There were times in 2021, as Badosa and Sorribes Tormo forged their way up the rankings, that they seemed as invested in each other's success as their own. The compatriots, friends and sometime doubles partners would turn up at each other's matches whenever possible, cheering as vociferously as the team members.
"She's like my sister," Badosa said of Sorribes Tormo in Cincinnati, where they reached the doubles quarterfinals together. "She knows me very well, since we were about 10 years old. We've spent most of our lives together."
For the first time since 2020, they'll spend time on opposite sides of the court. Playing each other won't be a novelty - this will be their sixth pro encounter - but it will be by far the biggest stage yet. Their first match was in Sao Paulo ITF W25 qualifying in 2014; eight years on, they will face off as seeds in a WTA 1000 tournament with a spot in the final 16 at stake.
Both players are comfortable in gruelling, extended rallies. Badosa has the edge in terms of power and serve, but Sorribes Tormo is adept at blunting both with touch, net play and sheer indefatigability. Already this season, Sorribes Tormo has contested three matches that have gone over three hours.
Head-to-head: Badosa leads 3-2, including their only hard-court meeting (6-4, 6-1 in the 2019 Burnie ITF W60 semifinals) and their only WTA main-draw meeting (6-1, 6-4 in the second round of Istanbul 2020).
Head to Head
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[13] Victoria Azarenka vs. [17] Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
If defending champion Badosa will be tested by familiarity, last year's runner-up Azarenka's challenge is the unknown. She has never faced Rybakina before and - as with all first-time encounters between Top 20 players - seeing how their games match up against each other adds another level of intrigue.
Azarenka has the advantage in terms of history. The only multiple Indian Wells champion in the field this year, she owns a 35-10 overall record at a tournament that's often been a happy hunting ground. By contrast, Rybakina's win over Alison Van Uytvanck this week was the first of her career here, having lost her opener to Yulia Putintseva on her debut last year.
Both players will be seeking to overcome stop-start seasons. After starting brightly with a run to the Adelaide 500 final, Rybakina was forced out of Sydney and the Australian Open due to a thigh injury and out of St. Petersburg and Dubai due to illness. For her part, Azarenka had to withdraw from Doha because of a hip injury.
Head-to-head: 0-0.
[30] Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) vs. [4] Anett Kontaveit (EST)
When a 17-year-old Vondrousova, ranked No.233 and contesting just her second WTA main draw, defeated Anett Kontaveit to win Biel 2017, it was the Czech who seemed destined to shoot to the top of the game. Her first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros followed in 2019 - but since being sidelined for six months that year with a wrist surgery, Vondrousova has yet to scale those heights again.
Results such as an Olympic silver medal last summer are a reminder of Vondrousova's potential, but she has yet to win a second title or crack the Top 10. Those are things Kontaveit has made look easy in the past seven months. The Estonian transformed herself from a perennial Top 30 mainstay into a World No.5 with five titles and a 43-7 record since August. Along the way, she scored her first win in three meetings over Vondrousova in the Moscow semifinals.
Head-to-head: Vondrousova leads 2-1, but Kontaveit won their most recent encounter, 6-3 6-4 in Moscow last year. This will be their first outdoor hard-court match.
Head to Head
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[18] Leylah Fernandez (CAN) vs. Shelby Rogers (USA)
A rematch of last November's fourth-round clash here, which Rogers won in a third-set tiebreak to extend her unbeaten record against Fernandez. That was the Canadian's first tournament following her breakout run to the US Open final, and after a dip in Australia she's been revitalised in North America once again. Most notably, Fernandez has saved nine match points across her last two matches - five to win the Monterrey final over Camila Osorio and four against Amanda Anisimova in her Indian Wells opener.
Rogers tends to be adept at pulling off upsets, though. The American overcame a 0-3 head-to-head to upset the in-form Jelena Ostapenko in the second round. That was her 21st career Top 20 win - a remarkable number for a player who has neither been ranked inside the Top 30 herself nor won a WTA title. Backing it up with a 22nd cannot be counted out.
Head-to-head: Rogers leads 2-0 with wins in the second round of Lexington 2020 and the fourth round of Indian Wells 2021.
[31] Viktorija Golubic (SUI) vs. Jasmine Paolini (ITA)
For the second year running, both Golubic and Paolini are making waves in the desert. Last year, they both scored notable upsets to reach the third round - Golubic over Maria Sakkari and Paolini over Elise Mertens. This year, one of them has the opportunity to go at least one better.
It has the makings of a fabulous match between two of the more exciting players outside the Top 30. Golubic showed off her one-handed backhand and fine touch during the shot-making clinic that was her opening win over Yulia Putintseva; Paolini combined aggressive flair with remarkable defence to take down No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka for her first Top 10 win.
Head-to-head: Golubic leads 2-0, having won indoors at the 2014 Barnstaple ITF W25 and on clay in last year's Saint-Malo 125 final.
[6] Maria Sakkari (GRE) vs. [27] Petra Kvitova (CZE)
Both Sakkari and Kvitova passed tough tests against historically tricky opponents in their opening matches this week, with Sakkari advancing in straight sets over Katerina Siniakova and Kvitova battling from a set down to defeat Aliaksandra Sasnovich. This will now be the seventh time they have faced each other - but the first in which Sakkari is the higher-ranked player.
The Greek has continued the impressive consistency that took her into the Top 10 in 2021 and owns a 12-4 record this year. By contrast, consistency has never been Kvitova's watchword. She is only 6-6 this season, and Indian Wells has rarely been a site where she hits top form. Kvitova's best performances here have been a pair of quarterfinals, in 2013 and 2016.
Head-to-head: 3-3, and 2-2 on hard courts. Sakkari won their most recent match 6-4, 6-3 in the third round of the 2021 US Open.
