Paula Badosa's title defense continued in the California desert on Monday, as the World No.7 defeated compatriot Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-6(4), 6-1 in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open. The No.5 seed will face No.18 seed Leylah Fernandez in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
Badosa is bidding to become the first woman to defend the Indian Wells title in more than 30 years. The last woman to do so was Martina Navratilova, who won her two Indian Wells titles in 1990 and 1991.
This was the sixth meeting between the seventh-seeded Badosa and No.32 Sorribes Tormo, with Badosa holding a slim 3-2 lead.
Badosa edges a marathon opening set: Sorribes Tormo's 2021 campaign was spent building her reputation as an indefatigable competitor and one of the most physical opponents on tour. She delivered on her brand once again against Badosa, as the two traded blows and protracted rallies across an 82-minute first set.
The match opened with six consecutive breaks of serve before Badosa snapped the streak to hold to 4-3. Four of the five remaining games in the opening set went to deuce. Sorribes Tormo gamely saved five break points during that stretch, including three set points at 5-6 to force a tiebreak.
Badosa responded by amping up the power in her shots and leaning into her groundstrokes to whip the balls into the corners. She sealed the set with the aid of another heavy forehand blast that Sorribes Tormo couldn't control. As Sorribes Tormo's forehand sailed wide, Badosa whipped around to her box and pointed to her head, an indication of the mental focus and effort expended to hold off her compatriot.
"I knew I had to go a little bit more for it," Badosa said, when asked about the tiebreak. "Sometimes it's tough because I know Sara lives a lot with errors of the other [player]. I didn't want to make a lot. I knew it was very tactical.
"In that moment when you're a little bit at the limit, I knew I had to go maybe a little bit more for it, especially with my forehand. That's what I did in a few points. I think that's what gave me the first set."
With the first set in hand, Badosa steadily marched through the second set to close out the win after 2 hours.
Badosa's take: "I think today she played very, very good in the first set. She was a very tough opponent. I was expecting that. She's a fighter. Last year was amazing for her. The bad part is that we know each other very well. Before I was hitting she already was in the spot. That was the negative part. But still I'm happy about her level. I think she's improving a lot.
"Really happy that I stayed there because it was very tough for me. Every point was very long. I knew I had to keep fighting and I will have my opportunity. I got that opportunity in the tiebreak."
Up next for Badosa: The Spaniard will face Fernandez for a spot in the quarterfinals. Badosa won their only prior meeting, which came at 2020 Auckland.
"Leylah, I mean, she's coming from winning a tournament. She's with lots of confidence. She's an amazing player," Badosa said. "I was going to say she's the future because she is very young, but I think she is in the present already. I expect a very tough match."
Fernandez avenges Rogers loss
Closing out the night session, No.18 seed Leylah Fernandez needed three sets to earn her first win over unseeded American Shelby Rogers, winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. The victory avenged the Canadian's loss from last October at Indian Wells, which Rogers won 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) in the Round of 16.
Fernandez opened the match by dominating on her service games. Coming in after a match-point saving effort against another American, Amanda Anisimova, Fernandez left nothing to chance against Rogers. She faced no break points in the first set, serving at 76.2% first serves in and winning 87.5% of her first-serve points. With Rogers struggling to find her first serve - she served at just 42.1% in the opening set - Fernandez broke three times.
Rogers turned the tables in the second set. This time it was the American who did not face a break point in the set, as she raced to a 3-0 lead and closed out the set on her fourth set point.
The trend of an early break making the difference continued in the deciding set. Fernandez broke first and held for a 3-0 lead. That would prove to be the only break of the final set, as Fernandez rolled through her service games to close out the match after 1 hour and 39 minutes.
Highlights: Fernandez beats Rogers for Round of 16 spot in Indian Wells
Fernandez on facing Badosa: "When we do practice together, we always have fun. She's a great person. It's great to have a player like her on tour because not only is she nice off court but she's also a great player on court. I can't wait to share the court with her playing a good match."
