Indian Wells Open: Keys Triumphs Over Mertens for 14th Win

Synopsis

The Australian Open champion, Keys, has extended her winning streak to 14 matches with a thrilling victory over Elise Mertens at the Indian Wells Open. Despite facing tough moments, Keys managed to secure her place in the fourth round, aiming for another quarterfinal appearance.

Key Takeaways

Keys achieved a remarkable 14-match winning streak.
She faced Elise Mertens in a challenging match.
Next, Keys will compete against Donna Vekic.
Coco Gauff won against Maria Sakkari.
Belinda Bencic set up a match with Gauff.

Indian Wells, March 11 (NationPress) The Australian Open champion has successfully pushed her winning streak to 14 matches after a dramatic 6-2, 6-7 (8), 6-4 victory against Elise Mertens, a player who has previously posed challenges for her.

Keys initially held a lead of a set and was ahead 5-3 at Stadium 2, even facing two match points on her serve in the ninth game to move into the fourth round.

However, those opportunities slipped away, and she saw two additional match points vanish during the tiebreak. Nevertheless, Keys rallied to clinch the victory.

This year, Keys has emerged victorious in all nine three-set matches she has contested. Notably, her last loss in a deciding set was to Mertens, in a heart-wrenching 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4 match during last year's US Open, according to WTA.

Keys aims to reach the quarterfinals for the second time here, following her impressive run in 2022. Her next challenge will be against No. 19 seed Donna Vekic, who upset No. 10 seed Emma Navarro with a score of 7-6(5), 6-1 on Monday night, marking Vekic's first Top 10 victory since defeating Coco Gauff at last year's Olympics.

In another match at Stadium 1, Coco Gauff triumphed over two-time finalist Maria Sakkari with a score of 7-6 (1), 6-2, marking a rematch from last year’s rain-affected semifinal, which Sakkari had won.

Gauff took 1 hour and 35 minutes to defeat Sakkari, a formidable contender at Indian Wells who has been a two-time finalist at the Paribas Open, including last year.

Belinda Bencic secured a matchup with Gauff by defeating 13th seed Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-4 on her 28th birthday.

Aryna Sabalenka improved her record to 3-0 against Italian Lucia Bronzetti, concluding the afternoon session at Stadium 1.

The World No. 1 achieved 24 winners against just 17 unforced errors and, aside from facing a 2-0 deficit in the second set, dominated the match with a 6-1, 6-2 scoreline.