INDIAN WELLS (USA) (ITALPRESS) – Jasmine Paolini is the only Italian still in the running at the BNP Paribas Open ($8,963,700 prize money), the WTA 1000 underway on the concrete courts of Indian Wells (United States). On the Italian night, the Tuscan tennis player, ranked No. 6 in the world rankings and on the scoreboard, reached the round of 16, bowing out in two hours and 23 minutes of play in the third round, with a score of 6-4 3-6 6-4, to Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, No. 79 Wta.
For a place in the quarters, the 29-year-old from Bagni di Lucca will face Liudmila Samsonova, world No. 25 and No. 24 in the seedings, who won in a comeback in an all-Russian derby with Daria Kasatkina, the No. 12 seed, 2-6 6-3 6-2. Samsonova has won both previous direct confrontations with Paolini, in the qualifiers at St. Petersburg in 2019 and in the first round at the Australian Open in 2023. Nothing to do, on the other hand, for Lucia Bronzetti, who, as predicted, surrendered decisively to the No. 1 of the Wta ranking and of the tournament: the 26-year-old from Romagna in fact succumbed to Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 6-1 6-2 in an hour and 14 minutes of the match.
Without Jannik Sinner, Italy failed to qualify any player for the round of 16 in Indian Wells. The last to hold out was Matteo Arnaldi: however, the 24-year-old San Remo-based tennis player, No. 35 in the world rankings, was narrowly beaten in the third round by Brandon Nakashima of the United States, No. 33 Atp and 32nd seed, winning 6-2 6-4 in just 74 minutes of play.
Eighths were reached, however, for Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz, the second and third strengths in the seeding, respectively: the Spaniard tamed Canada’s Denis Shapovalov (27) 6-2 6-4, and the American beat Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo (30) 4-6 6-3 6-1.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
