Indian Wells Update

Hey there tennis fans, the Volvo Car Open had 34 of its players in action at Indian Wells at the start of the tournament earlier this week. Today marks the beginning of the second round of the main draw, and with so many of our players taking the courts, it can be tough to keep up. Here are some brief highlights of what’s going on in main draw play so far at Indian Wells to help keep you in the know.

A couple of our players had to battle it out of the qualifying rounds to make the main draw. So first off, congrats to Madison Brengle and Lara Arruabarrena for landing a spot in the round of 128 at the tournament. Brengle faced a tough matchup against Marketa Vondrousova in the first round and fell 6-2, 6-2, to be eliminated from singles play. Arruabarrena however, not only qualified, but went on to upset the No. 40 ranked Lesia Tsurenko in round one of the main draw, securing her a spot in the round of 64. Arruabarrena faces the No. 2 player in the world Caroline Wozniacki as her upcoming opponent. Match play is set to begin March 10 at 1:00 pm EST.

Upcoming Head to Head Matchups:

A couple of our Volvo Car Open players will face one another in the round of 64. Always a fun way to catch a preview of the potential competition you’ll get to see come April!

WTA No. 51 Petra Martic vs.  No. 25 Barbora Strycova – March 9, 3:15 pm EST: Both players should be feeling fresh for this match. Strycova received a first round BYE, and Martic cruised past fellow VCO contender Maria Tatjana in two sets, 6-3, 6-1. Each athlete has one career win against the other, so a competitive match should be in store.

WTA No. 58 Maria Sakkari vs. No. 21 Ashleigh Barty – March 9, 4:35 pm EST: Barty, the 16th seed for this tournament, had the luxury of a first round BYE to advance to the second round. Maria Sakkari bested the slightly higher ranked Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2, to advance to the round of 64.

WTA No. 24 Elena Vesnina vs. No. 45 Catherine ‘CiC’ Bellis – March 10, 1:00 pm EST: Fans are treated to a WTA top 50 clash early on in the tournament. Vesnina, the defending champion, advanced via BYE in the first round, while Bellis made quick work of qualifier Sara Sorribes Tormo, defeating the Spaniard 6-0, 6-3, in straight sets. These two players have never competed against one another before, so it should make for a fun match to watch.

Player Field Action:

All the players below received first-round BYES to advance to the round of 64. Checkout who these stars will take on in round two.

WTA No. 7 Caroline Garcia: Always a potential threat, Garcia is currently our highest ranked player in the Volvo Car Open main draw. Garcia will be facing the No. 83 ranked Jennifer Brady for her first match of the tourney. Match begins March 10 at 1:00 pm EST.

WTA No. 9 Petra Kvitova: Roaring her way back into the WTA top 10, Kvitova has made 2018 her comeback year. The Czech star draws Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in the second round. Match is set to begin March 9 at 2:00 pm EST.

WTA No. 19 Daria Kasatkina: The reigning Volvo Car Open champion is sporting the highest ranking of her career, and at just 20 years of age the sky is the limit for this young star. Kasatkina play against WTA No. 48 Katerina Siniakova in round two. Match begins March 10, at 1 pm EST.

There are still a lot more our athletes in action over the course of the weekend. Be sure to tune in for some great tennis, and of course root for one of our Volvo Car Open players to bring home the championship!