Garin Stuns Ruud to Reach Last 16 at Indian Wells

Cristian Garin of Chile reacts after winning a point in his match against Casper Ruud of Norway during the BNP Parisbas at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 12, 2023 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Cristian Garin of Chile reacts after winning a point in his match against Casper Ruud of Norway during the BNP Parisbas at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 12, 2023 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Garin Stuns Ruud to Reach Last 16 at Indian Wells

Cristian Garin of Chile reacts after winning a point in his match against Casper Ruud of Norway during the BNP Parisbas at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 12, 2023 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Cristian Garin of Chile reacts after winning a point in his match against Casper Ruud of Norway during the BNP Parisbas at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 12, 2023 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Chilean Cristian Garin's aggressive play overwhelmed Casper Ruud at Indian Wells on Sunday as the qualifier upset the third seed 6-4 7-6(2) to book a spot in the last 16.

Garin pounded 27 forehand winners and fought off a second set comeback attempt to dispatch the struggling Norwegian, who has yet to win consecutive matches this season.

"I'm so happy with the way that I played," said Garin.

"I played so aggressive the whole match, even in the second set when I was leading 3-1 and lost those games."

With the win Garin, a former top 20 player now ranked 97th, improved his career record against Ruud to 3-1.

"Casper is one of the players I really, really like on the tour so it's very special to me," said the Chilean.

Ruud is still searching for the sensational form that saw him make the finals of the French Open and US Open and soar up the rankings last year.

Garin will next face Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina who beat Russia's Karen Khachanov 6-3 1-6 6-4.

German 12th seed Alexander Zverev dug deep to beat Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5 1-6 7-5 despite admitting he was not at his best.

"To be honest I thought he played much better than me throughout the match," said Zverev.

"That's just the way it is sometimes... This is tennis, one or two points can decide a match and I'm happy that I won those points."

Zverev will next face red-hot Russian Daniil Medvedev, who continued his recent streak of dominance that led to three consecutive titles with a 6-2 3-6 6-1 win over Belarusian Ilya Ivashka.

Fifth seed Medvedev looked like he would make quick work of Ivashka after a one-sided first set but ran into trouble in the second where he grew agitated with some noisy fans on a windy night on center court.

He corrected course in the third, however, breaking to take a 2-0 lead and cruising to the finish.

Earlier in the day Britain's Cameron Norrie, seeded 10th, fought back to beat Japanese player Taro Daniel 6-7(5) 7-5 6-2 as the 2021 champion looks to add a second Indian Wells title to his collection. He will next play Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev.

American Frances Tiafoe, seeded 14th, will face Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the round of 16 after both players advanced in straight sets.

Sakkari survives

On the women's side, seventh-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece kept her title hopes alive by battling back to beat Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 3-6 6-2 6-4.

Sakkari drew Kalinina to the net with a drop shot and then fired a backhand winner down the line on match point to complete the comeback.

The Greek leaned over and pumped her fists in celebration after sealing the win on a hot day in the Southern California desert.

"I don't mind winning ugly," she told reporters.

"It doesn't really matter. I just give myself another chance to play better the next day."

Sakkari, a finalist in Indian Wells last year, will next face 17th seed Karolina Pliskova in the round of 16 after the Czech beat Russia's Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 7-5.

Third-seeded American Jessica Pegula edged Russia's Anastasia Potapova 3-6 6-4 7-5 to set up a meeting with Petra Kvitova after the 15th-seeded Czech won a rollercoaster match against Jelena Ostapenko 0-6 6-0 6-4.

Sweden's Rebecca Peterson dispatched Jil Teichmann of Switzerland 3-6 6-3 6-1, 16th seeded Czech Barbora Krejcikova beat China's Wang Xinyu 6-2 7-6(1) 6-2, and sixth-seeded American teenager Coco Gauff beat Czech Linda Noskova 6-4 6-3.

Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka advanced via walkover when her Ukrainian opponent Lesia Tsurenko withdrew.



Paolini and Italy Beat Slovakia to Win Billie Jean King Cup

Italy's Jasmine Paolini (C) and Team Italy teammates hold up the trophy after winning the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena arena in Malaga, southern Spain, on November 20, 2024. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
Italy's Jasmine Paolini (C) and Team Italy teammates hold up the trophy after winning the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena arena in Malaga, southern Spain, on November 20, 2024. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
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Paolini and Italy Beat Slovakia to Win Billie Jean King Cup

Italy's Jasmine Paolini (C) and Team Italy teammates hold up the trophy after winning the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena arena in Malaga, southern Spain, on November 20, 2024. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
Italy's Jasmine Paolini (C) and Team Italy teammates hold up the trophy after winning the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena arena in Malaga, southern Spain, on November 20, 2024. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

Two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini capped a breakthrough season by leading Italy to its first Billie Jean King Cup title since 2013 on Wednesday, defeating Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 6-1 to seal a 2-0 victory over Slovakia in the final of the women’s team competition.
When Paolini's win ended, she was joined on court by her teammates, and they embraced each other, then danced and sang along as the Gypsy Kings' version of “Volare” blared on the loudspeakers, The Associated Press reported.
The No. 4-ranked Paolini was the runner-up at the French Open in June and at Wimbledon in July, making her the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to get to the title matches at Roland Garros and the All England Club in the same season. Before this year, Paolini, who is 28, had lost in the first or second round in all 16 career appearances at majors.
“Unbelievable year. Unbelievable. A crazy year. To finish like this, with a title ... it’s amazing. I don’t have words to describe it. I’m trying just to enjoy every moment,” Paolini said. “I feel lucky to be in the position. I feel lucky to be part of this team.”
She also teamed with Sara Errani to win a doubles gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August. They were lined up to play in the concluding match against Slovakia, but it wasn't needed because Italy clinched the best-of-three series by sweeping the two singles matches.
“Jasmine raised her level really high this year. ... She’s an example for all of us,” said her teammate, 78th-ranked Lucia Bronzetti, who took Wednesday’s opener by a 6-2, 6-4 score against Viktoria Hruncakova before a crowd that included International Tennis Hall of Famer and equal rights pioneer Billie Jean King herself.
Bronzetti called it an “honor” to compete in front of the woman for whom the event is named, saying, “She is a great person, a great legend.”
Italy, which eliminated Iga Swiatek and Poland in the semifinals, earned its fifth championship a year after finishing as the runner-up to Canada.
“I’m so proud of them. They fight every day,” Italian captain Tathiana Garbin said. “This journey was incredible.”
The triumph adds to what’s been quite a recent run for Italy in tennis, including two Grand Slam trophies in 2024 and the No. 1 men’s ranking for Jannik Sinner, who helped his country claim last year’s Davis Cup. Sinner and Italy meet Argentina in the men’s quarterfinals Thursday.
This is the first time the two premier International Tennis Federation team events are being held at the same site, although the women’s matches are being played in a much smaller venue. They are using a temporary court set up under a white tent, with a capacity of 4,000; the men are playing in a permanent arena with 9,200 seats that were full Tuesday for Rafael Nadal’s last match before retirement in Spain’s loss to the Netherlands.
Bronzetti never had played a BJK Cup singles match until this week. She said she didn’t find out until Tuesday night that she would be in the lineup against Slovakia.
“I didn’t sleep very well,” Bronzetti said.
“You’re not playing just for yourself,” she said. “You’re playing for your team and your country.”
Serenaded by chants of her first name — “Loo-Chee-Ah! Loo-Chee-Ah!” — that mingled with the sounds of a drum and red plastic horn played in the cheering section behind Slovakia’s bench, Bronzetti claimed the last three games of the first set and the last four of the match.
She trailed 4-2, 40-15 in the second set but turned it around.
“I was a little worried I was going to a third,” Bronzetti said.
Slovakia, which won the BJK Cup in 2002, eliminated the United States, Australia and Britain to get to the final this time.