INDIAN WELLS:
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Italian opponent Jannik Sinner remained on course for a semi-final showdown after cruising into the last eight of the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday.
Alcaraz advanced to the last eight as he got revenge on Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan with a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Meanwhile, Sinner closed out the last eight with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 loss to Ben Shelton.
Sinner’s victory was his 18th in a row dating back to the end of last season, leaving him three wins away from his third title of the season after winning the Australian Open and Rotterdam.
“I played really well in the tough times,” said the 22-year-old world number three as he lined up against Czech Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get much pace from him. I can be proud of how I played. The wind didn’t make it easy, but I tried to stay positive and it worked out for me.”
Sinner could face Spain’s Wimbledon champion Alcaraz in the California semifinals in what would be the latest installment of a burgeoning rivalry.
The duo battled through an epic quarter-final at the 2022 US Open and met in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells and Miami Masters events last season.
Alcaraz must claim a quarter-final against sixth seed Alexander Zverev before any meeting with Sinner. Zverev reached the last eight after defeating Alex de Minaur 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 in two and three quarters.
Alcaraz had a score to settle with 58th-ranked Marozsan after losing their only other meeting at last year’s Rome Masters.
Alcaraz never let his opponent down in the fourth-round match, breaking twice in the opening set and winning 12 of the first 13 points of the second.
The top seed rattled off 22 winners in 75 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals.
After a slow start to this season and a rolled ankle several weeks ago in Brazil, the 20-year-old has appeared on course to continue his pursuit of a possible second title here.
“I was nervous before the fight, I’m not going to lie,” Alcaraz said.
“I was playing someone who beat me when I had no chance in the Rome match.”
But he walked away the winner completely satisfied with his performance.
“Let’s just say (it was) almost perfect. I can play better.
“But I’m really happy with the way I approached the match, the way I played and my emotions.”
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas failed to reach a second career quarter-final here, with the 11th seed losing 6-2, 6-4 to rising Czech youngster Lehecka.
The upset was the youngster’s second in a row after dispatching fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the previous round.
Tsitsipas, whose form has been mediocre so far this season, reached the last eight during his 2018 debut at the Tennis Garden but is yet to make that effort.
In the women’s fourth round, top seed Iga Sviatek beat Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 6-2 to set up a quarter-final with Caroline Wozniacki.
Swiatek beat Putintseva in all three of her matches without dropping a set.
He dominated the 79th-ranked Kazakhstan by sweeping the opening set in 29 minutes, but was forced to battle through a second set marred by six breaks of serve.
“I had to focus in the second set,” Swiatek said. “He’s trying different things.
“I just wanted to play my game and I’m glad I did.”
Swiatek faces Wozniacki for a place in the semi-finals. Wozniacki won the battle of the returning tennis mothers, defeating Anelique Kerber 6-4, 6-2.
Both of the over-30 pair of former number one players and Grand Slam champions are back on Tour after giving birth.
“Things were going a little bit my way and she was struggling a little bit with her back,” Wozniacki said. “I’m happy that I won.
“This will be my first quarter-final after taking a three-and-a-half-year (maternity) break.
“To come back playing is a special feeling.”
Dubai champion Jasmine Paolini lost 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 to Anastasia Potapova, while Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-1 to reach the last eight.
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