An Early Advantage
Wicked serves, penetrating groundstrokes: Sabalenka fired away with fury beneath perfect blue skies on Tuesday inside Stadium 1, and whenever she faced pressure from Osaka, the 27-year-old rose to the challenge.
Three double faults in Osaka’s second service game of the match helped Sabalenka to a break and a 2-1 lead.
Thirteen winners later, Sabalenka had the opening set in her pocket, 6-2.
Osaka’s Push
Eager to find her front foot, Osaka picked up her intensity in the second set, earning her first break point of the match in the second game, at 30-40. It was neatly scrubbed away by Sabalenka with a crosscourt backhand winner that whizzed into the open court.
With the crowd willing Osaka on, the 2018 champion fought off a break point to hold for 3-2 in set two, but her good fortunes ran out two games later as two rocketed Sabalenka forehands — the second inside-out and into a wide-open court — gave the two-time Indian Wells runner-up the critical 4-3 advantage.
A final Osaka break point opportunity went begging in the next game, thanks to a perfectly placed body serve by Sabalenka.
Moments later, after a final Osaka hold of serve, Sabalenka closed out the contest on her racket.
The World No. 1 and top seed will face the winner of tonight’s clash between Victoria Mboko and Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals. Sabalenka improves to 18-6 lifetime in the California desert as she bids for her first title in her seventh appearance.
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