Into the third round of Indian Wells, all seeds have now been tested at least once and contenders begin to emerge. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will make it to the last 16?
WTA Indian Wells Day 5 Predictions
Aryna Sabalenka vs Lesia Tsurenko
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 1-1 Tsurenko
The Australian Open champion is 14-1 on the year and is looking to make it past the Round of 16 at the Indian Wells for the first time in her career. Sabalenka’s first tournament back did not quite go her way, losing 6-0 6-7 1-6 in Dubai quarterfinals to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova. Sabalenka looked good in her Indian Wells opener, allowing Evgeniya Rodina just two games. Tsurenko has had a strong year as well, reaching the final of Hua Hin before this run in the desert. The Ukrainian beat Taylor Townsend and Katie Boulter in qualifying before taking out Lin Zhu and Donna Vekic in the main draw. Sabalenka won in straight sets when the two faced off in the third round here four years ago and I think this is likely to happen again.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
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Barbora Krejcikova vs Wang Xinyu
Head-to-head: Krejcikova 1-0 Wang
Krejcikova is on a seven-win streak after a brilliant title run in Dubai. The Czech got wins over the likes of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jessica Pegula to win her first WTA 1000. Krejcikova has brought her form to Indian Wells, beating Dayana Yastremska 6-1 6-2. Despite a decent record, Wang did not get any particularly impressive wins until this week in Indian Wells and now she’s got two upsets under her belt. The 21-year-old beat Elise Mertens 6-3 6-1 in the first round and followed it up with a 6-2 6-3 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova. Krejcikova has been a level above these players but Wang could make this a tricky one.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
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Petra Kvitova vs Jelena Ostapenko
Head-to-head: Kvitova 5-4 Ostapenko
These two power-hitters are about to have their tenth meeting here in Indian Wells, likely the slowest courts they have played each other on. Kvitova leads the head-to-head 5-4, including their most recent match in the Eastbourne final last year. Their head-to-head on outdoor hard is tied at 3-3 though. Ostapenko, a semifinalist here in 2021, has played at a pretty high level throughout the season. The Latvian beat Coco Gauff to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals, took sets off of Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka in early Doha and Dubai losses, and beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich in her Indian Wells opener. Kvitova’s season has lacked a deep run so far and the Czech has not had one in Indian Wells since 2016. The 33-year-old dealt with Elizabeth Mandlik in her opener and should have a 50-50 chance against Ostapenko. This match is a true coin flip.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
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Coco Gauff vs Linda Noskova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Two 18-year-olds battling it out for a spot in the last 16. Gauff has not really taken a bad loss so far this year, only losing to Jelena Ostapenko, Veronika Kudermetova and Iga Swiatek. In addition to getting her third career title in Auckland, the American has also collected wins over Madison Keys, Petra Kvitova, and Emma Raducanu. Gauff downed Cristina Bucsa in her Indian Wells opener 6-2 6-4. Noskova, eight months younger than Gauff, burst onto the scene at the start of the season with her brilliant Adelaide run. She failed to make an impact in Melbourne but reached the quarterfinals of Lyon before taking most of February off. The young Czech has returned with the fire we saw in Adelaide, beating Irina-Camelia Begu and Amanda Anisimova. Gauff has fallen at the third-round hurdle in her two previous Indian Wells appearances and Noskova will definitely not make it easy to clear it this time.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
Main Photo Credit: Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
