Sabalenka Responds To Swiatek's Form With Outstanding Indian Wells Performance
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Aryna Sabalenka sent a message to the rest of the field at the 2025 Indian Wells Open by dismantling Lucia Bronzetti in the round of 32.
The WTA world No. 1 received a stern test from the in-form McCartney Kessler in the previous round, who was the runner-up to Jessica Pegula in Austin. Sabalenka won the opening set before taking the second more comfortably to seal a 7-6, 6-3 triumph.
That tough battle contrasted sharply with her rival Iga Swiatek's opening two matches. The defending champion only dropped four games in the four sets she played against Dayana Yastremska and Caroline Garcia.
Although Bronzetti was a significant underdog before the match, she might have taken some confidence from straight-set victories against Anhelina Kalinina and Magdalena Frech to set up the meeting with Sabalenka.
The Italian made a decent start by holding her serve comfortably to start the contest. She hit some impressive shots with her forehand, which is Bronzetti's most formidable weapon and needed to fire to have a chance.
A lengthy fourth game of the opening set proved crucial. There were a combination of winners and unforced errors from both women throughout, and Bronzetti showed impressive resilience by saving four break points.
However, the pressure eventually told. Sabalenka took her fifth opportunity to break, which seemed to impact Bronzetti throughout the rest of the set. She did not handle the Belarusian's power as well in the next three games.
The pre-match favorite raced to the opening set 6-1. At that point, it was questionable whether Bronzetti would win another game after how easily Sabalenka claimed the last three games, with minimal effort.
To the Italian's credit, she did not give up in the second set. Some good serving saw her get on the scoreboard again, receiving a cheer from the fans on Court 1 that did not want the match to finish too quickly.
Bronzetti then played her best game of the match to break Sabalenka, hitting two delightful passing shots to win the opening two points, before taking her second break point chance to take a 2-0 lead.
Backing up that break and taking a 3-0 was pivotal to Bronzetti's chances of forcing the match to a deciding set. Unfortunately for the world No. 62, a few loose shots cost her dearly and Sabalenka broke straight back.
The three-time Grand Slam champion found her groove again after that. She hit some trademark thunderous groundstrokes in Bronzetti's next service game to break again and lead in the second set for the first time.
Sabalenka threatened to let Bronzetti back into the set when she missed several first serves to help Bronzetti create a break point chance. But the 2024 US Open winner saved it with a big forehand and then won the next two points to hold for 4-2.
From that moment, the result was never in doubt. Sabalenka broke again before serving out the match without difficulty, completing a 6-1, 6-2 win. Getting a comfortable victory and responding to Swiatek's dominance must have felt good.
Sabalenka has never won the Indian Wells Open, but she will give herself a good chance by continuing to play at the level seen in this match.
