Daijiworld Media Network - Colombia

Colombia, Mar 9: World number one Aryna Sabalenka powered past Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-1 on Sunday to set up a fourth-round clash with former champion Naomi Osaka at the Indian Wells Open.

Osaka, seeded 16th, secured a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio, avenging a disappointing first-round defeat to the same opponent at the tournament last year. Sabalenka, meanwhile, is chasing her first title at the prestigious Masters 1000 event after finishing runner-up twice in the past.

Osaka lifted the Indian Wells title in 2018 and went on to win the US Open that same year during a breakthrough season that included a victory over Sabalenka — their only meeting so far. Both players have since gone on to win four Grand Slam titles each.

“I’ll have a chance to get revenge, hopefully,” Sabalenka said after producing a dominant performance that included 23 winners against the 35th-ranked Cristian.

Although she faced a brief hiccup — a double fault on break point while serving for the opening set — the Belarusian quickly regained control by breaking Cristian to claim the set before cruising through the second.

“I knew she wasn’t going to give up easily,” Sabalenka said. “That’s why I was super-focused, especially on my serve. I didn’t want to give her many opportunities.”

Osaka, playing her first tournament since withdrawing from the Australian Open ahead of her third-round match due to an abdominal injury, started strongly against Osorio by breaking her serve three times in the first set.

The Colombian responded in the second set, improving her service rhythm and breaking Osaka for a 4-2 lead before closing out the set. However, Osaka regained momentum in the decider, breaking early to take a 3-0 lead and sealing the match without facing another break point.

Reflecting on the comeback, Osaka said she focused on staying positive during the deciding set.

“I felt like in the second set I was complaining a lot,” she said. “Then I thought my daughter could be watching me mope around the court. I needed to pick up my attitude, and that’s what I did in the third.”

Elsewhere in the tournament, fourth-seeded Coco Gauff is set to headline the night session against rising Philippines star Alexandra Eala. The match offers Eala a quick opportunity for revenge after losing 6-0, 6-2 to the American in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships last month.

The winner of that contest will face Czech player Linda Noskova, who defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-4.

Sixth-seeded Amanda Anisimova and seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini also progressed to the last 16. Anisimova produced a commanding 6-1, 6-1 win over Britain’s Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, while Paolini defeated Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 5-7, 6-1.