Muguruza Outlasts Young American Day in Indian Wells

March 13, 2017 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo Credit: Sidney Beal III/Clique Photography

Spain’s Garbine Muguruza advanced to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open, knocking off 17-year old American Kayla Day 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday.

“I think she plays very good,” Muguruza said of Day. “She’s very young and has a great future. She reminds me a little of me, when I was super motivated and playing very good.”

Day came out firing, jumping out to a 5-1 lead on the French Open champion and would go on to serve out the set.

But Muguruza responded in the second, saving break points at 5-5 before breaking Day in the 12th game to force the deciding third set. She carried that momentum into the decider with an early break point and didn’t face a single break point of her own to complete the comeback and advance.

The Spaniard moved into a fourth-round showdown with 10th seed Elina Svitolina, who knocked off 24th seed Daria Gavrilova 6-2, 6-1 in her match on Sunday.

U.S. Open finalist and third-seed Karolina Pliskova defeated Irina Begu 6-4, 7-6(2) and will play 15th seeded Swiss Timea Bacsinszky next.

“That’ll be another tough one. I beat her in Fed Cup but I’ve lost to her before,” said Pliskova of her next match. “She had a tough match today, but there’ll be a day off and I think she’ll be ready. She always plays well here, has a good game for this surface with the spin on her forehand. I have to be ready for the backhand.  I don’t want to be in the position where she’s dictating, so I’ll have to play faster. There’s a few players like this, and I have to be ready for them with my legs, closing the ball at the net and being aggressive.”

Fifth-seed Dominika Cibulkova came back from a set down to beat Pliskova’s sister, Kristyna, 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4).

“It wasn’t easy to play against here today; she was playing really well and serving really well,” said Cibulkova. “I couldn’t find my rhythm at the beginning but I got into the match and said that I had to go for every single ball for it to turn around. That’s what happened and I’m really happy I won this match today.”

Cibulkova faces 19th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next. The Russian defeated Barbora Strycova 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday.

The other Round of 16 matchup set up on Sunday will see eighth-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova meet 21st seed Caroline Garcia. Kuznetsova hung on to beat 26th seed Roberta Vinci 6-2, 2-6, 6-1, while Garcia came back from a set down to upend 11th seed Johanna Konta 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(1). 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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