Wozniacki to Face Azarenka in Indian Wells Quarterfinals

March 13, 2013 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

On Tuesday at the 2013 BNP Paribas Open, Caroline Wozniacki rallied from 5-3 down to win a marathon 65-minute first set before taking a simpler second set to move past the 10th-seeded Nadia Petrova in a two-setter, 7-6(3), 6-3. Wozniacki had won four of her six previous meetings with Petrova. Next up for Wozniacki is the top seed and defending Indian Wells champion Victoria Azarenka, who defeated Urszula Radwanska 6-3, 6-1 to extend her streak to 17-0 on the year.

"It was pretty obvious I wasn’t feeling that well – my ankle was bothering me, it’s been bothering me for a while, and it hasn’t really been getting better," said Azarenka. "But on the bright side, I won the match today. I overcame those things and—I don’t know how—managed to just take my opportunities and really go for my shots and make it happen, and not just wait for her mistakes. She’s a very, very consistent player and doesn’t miss, so I had to take everything in my own hands."

Wozniacki leads Azarenka in their head-to-head, 4-2, however the two have not played each other in over two years.

"I definitely need to bring my A-game," said Wozniacki of her next-round meeting with the top-seeded foe.

The other quarterfinal on the top half of the draw will feature fourth-seeded Angelique Kerber taking on the number seven seed, Samantha Stosur, after Stosur rallied from a set down to beat the 24th-seeded Mona Barthel, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, and Kerber was victorious over Spanish qualifier Garbiñe Muguruza, 6-4, 7-5.

Also on Tuesday, Sara Errani pulled a 6-3 and a 6-2 to win her WTA-leading 21st match of the year, beating Marion Bartoli in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals. The ninth-seeded Bartoli came out stronger, winning eight points in a row from 1-all to build a 3-1 lead; but the sixth-seeded Errani won seven games in a row for a 6-3, 2-0 lead, and six games later, she was a 6-3, 6-2 winner and the tournament’s first quarterfinalist. Before this year, Errani’s best result at Indian Wells was the third round, which she achieved twice, in 2010 and 2011, losing tight three-setters to Jelena Jankovic and Kim Clijsters, respectively.


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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