Iga Świątek turned the tables on Linda Noskova, avenging her Australian Open defeat by defeating the Czech teenager 6-4, 6-0 in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday.
In the men’s draw, second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz and third-seeded Jannik Sinner advanced in straight sets, while fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev fell to No. 32 seed Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4.
Swiatek progressed to round 16, where she faced Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, who defeated Madison Keys 6-4, 6-1. American singles players faced a challenging day, with Frances Tiafoe losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas and Katie Volynets being eliminated by Caroline Wozniacki. However, Ben Shelton secured a thrilling 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 victory over Francisco Cerundolo.
Shelton, the 16th seed, will now meet Sinner in the round of 16, while Tsitsipas will take on Lehecka.
Reflecting on her win, Swiatek acknowledged her early mistakes but maintained her focus on consistency. “I made some mistakes at the beginning…
But I knew that if I’m going to try to stay consistent and make a little bit fewer mistakes, my chances may come,” she said.
Elsewhere, Jasmine Paolini clinched a tight victory against Anna Kalinskaya, while Alcaraz and Sinner secured their spots in the next round with impressive performances.
Alcaraz expressed his fondness for the tournament, describing it as the “fifth Grand Slam” due to its serene atmosphere. He looks forward to facing Fabian Marozsan, seeking redemption after their previous encounter.
In doubles action, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula triumphed over Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, while the top-seeded men’s doubles team was eliminated in the first round.
