Third round action at the WTA Indian Wells tournament features Americans Emma Navarro and Madison Keys as headliners. We also have predictions for matches featuring Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic on Monday.
Elise Mertens vs Madison Keys
Keys won the first three meetings but Mertens can level the h2h at 3-3 if she wins this match. The Belgian Mertens is halfway to reaching her 2024 win total and we are only in March, the 30 year old Keys took time off after her Australian Open triumph but in her first match she showed no signs of rust. Mertens is a serious opponent, but Keys is one of the best players in the game today. Keys in 2
Emma Navarro vs Donna Vekic
Vekic won the only meeting and despite having a losing record on the season actually reached a career high ranking two months ago. The 23 year old Navarro needed a third set tiebreak to win her first match over Cirstea. Navarro hasn’t reached the heights of her 2024 season yet but playing on home soil should let her play inspired and confident. Navarro in 2
Jaqueline Cristian vs Jasmine Paolini
Paolini leads the h2h 3-0 (all on clay), Cristian did upset Leylah Fernandez in the previous round but the top 10 Paolini is looking for her form to finally kick into gear. I don’t expect Paolini to dominate after struggling in round 1 vs Jovic, but she still has enough skills to win. Paolini in 3
Polina Kudermetova vs Sonay Kartal
Two wins on the trot for Kudermetova who has been untroubled to this point. The lucky loser Kartal is at a career high ranking at 23 years old and has been dominant below WTA level this season. Kudermetova was a finalist in Brisbane to start the season and is a good enough hard court player she would still be the favorite here. Kudermetova in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
