Continue the remote challenge a Indian Wells between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcarazwith the two rivals for the No. 2 ranking entering the round of 16 of the Californian Masters 1000 by beating the German respectively Jan-Lennard Struff and the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The Italian won with a score of 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and a quarter of play and will face the American Ben Shelton or the Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the next round. «I am satisfied with my performance – said Sinner -. We prepared this match in the right way against a difficult opponent. I served well under pressure and also responded quite well. I like challenges like this and playing them and winning them makes you stronger. I have confidence in my shots and that's why I work hard to feel comfortable when I don't play well. Although today I did. So the day is positive, let's see how it goes the day after tomorrow”, he concluded.
Sinner won the first set in half an hour, breaking the German's serve in the fourth game and then effortlessly reaching 1-0. The trend of the second match was similar, with a break in the fifth game by the Italian who then canceled two points of a possible counter break from Struff to resolve the issue with a classic 6-4. The Pusterese native has now won 17 consecutive matches, 14 in 2024 with two titles won.
Alcaraz beat Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (n.31 ATP) in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3.
The reigning champion will face Hungarian Fabian Marozsan in the round of 16. Also qualified for the round of 16 were the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, who eliminated the home idol Frances Tiafoe with a double 6-3, and the Australian Alex de Minaur, who dominated the Kazakh Alexander Bublik, beaten 7-5, 6-0. In the women's tournament, the Italian Jasmine Paolini and the No. 1 in the world, the Polish Iga Swiatek, reached the round of 16. Paolini came from behind to defeat the Russian Anna Kalinskaya with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. A very difficult challenge for the Tuscan who, thanks to her character, did not give up and put her rival, already beaten in the final in Dubai, under pressure, achieving her seventh victory in a row.