Kerber survives but Peng packs off Radwanska
Print Edition
POISED to return to the top spot in next week’s world rankings, Angelique Kerber narrowly avoided an upset at the BNP Paribas Open on Monday.
Kerber outlasted Pauline Parmentier of France 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in the third round when temperatures soared to the upper 36 degrees Celsius under cloudless skies in the Southern California desert. That’s nearly 20 degrees higher than the seasonal average of 25 degrees.
One of their games lasted 11 minutes and another went on for 9-1/2 minutes. Kerber rallied from a 1-4 deficit in the third set.
“I was starting to believe in myself again,” she said.
The second-seeded German arrived early this year to better prepare for an event whose slow courts and extreme temperatures have bedeviled her in the past. In nine previous appearances at Indian Wells, Kerber’s best results were semifinal berths in 2012 and 2013. She had lost in the second round for the past three years.
“The conditions are also very tough here. When you play day session, it’s really, really hot. You play night session, it’s a little bit cooler and could be really cold,” she said. “The balls are flying a little bit different, as well.”
Regardless of Kerber’s results, she is assured of regaining the No. 1 ranking from Serena Williams, who withdrew before the tournament began because of what she said was a left knee injury. Kerber dropped to No. 2 after the Australian Open in January.
Romania’s Simona Halep, the 2015 champion, lost to 28th-seeded Kristina Mladenovic of France 3-6, 3-6 while China’s Peng Shuai ousted sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 6-4.
Peng next plays Venus Williams, who beat Czech Lucie Safarova 6-4, 6-2, winning 75 percent of her first-serve points and all eight of her net points.
Williams is back in the desert for the second straight year after boycotting the tournament since 2001. That’s when she and her father were jeered and said they heard racial taunts after she withdrew from her semifinal against younger sister Serena because of an injury.
Madison Keys defeated Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 in just under an hour in front of her coach Lindsay Davenport. Japan’s Osaka failed to convert any of her four break points.
Other women’s winners were No. 13 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 14 Elena Vesnina and American Lauren Davis.
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