INDIAN WELLS: World number six Matteo Berrettini shook off mid-match doldrums to reach the fourth round of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters on Tuesday as fourth-ranked Iga Swiatek led the way into the women’s quarter-finals.
Italy’s Berrettini, the highest-ranked player left in his half of the draw, defeated South African Lloyd Harris 6-4, 7-5.
The 25-year-old Italian, owner of five ATP titles but seeking his first Masters 1000 crown, shot to prominence when he reached the final at Wimbledon in 2021, losing to Novak Djokovic.
The Australian Open semi-finalist is the second-highest ranked man left in the draw behind fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal after the exits of Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
But he admitted he’ll need to do better after a victory in which he trailed 4-1 in the second set.
He fired 12 aces to claim the victory, polishing it off in straight sets despite trailing 4-1 in the second.
“I got a little bit nervous,” he said. “I didn’t like how I handled the start of the second set. I let the anger out a little bit, which helped.
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“I found the right balance in order to break him in the important moment and I then had the momentum.”
A dozen aces also helped as Berrettini won five straight games to secure the victory and set up a fourth round clash with Miomir Kecmanovic, a 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 winner over Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.
Poland’s Swiatek rallied for a thrid straight match to reach the last eight with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over crafty German veteran Angelique Kerber.
Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion, is coming off a title in Doha last month, but the 20-year-old admitted it took her awhile to figure out how to tackle Kerber - another former Grand Slam champion.
“For sure it was really hard playing against her,” Swiatek said. “She’s such an experienced player. It’s never easy.
“Truth be told, I wasn’t really sure what my tactics should be, if I should be more aggressive or play more patient game,” she said. “But at the end I think I made the right decision in right time, in right moments of the match. I’m pretty happy about that because in important, you know, moments in second and third, I was winning points.”
She said Kerber showed her a different game than she’d expected after practicing with the German.
“I felt like she wanted to use her experience and kind of trick me,” Swiatek said. “But I like that because it’s like a new experience for me. You’re not going to get that from many players because not many players have been on tour for such a long time.
“I’m pretty proud of myself that I could win against such a smart player,” added Swiatek, who next faces American Madison Keys.
Super-pleased Halep
Keys ended the run of British qualifier Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-4.
Former world number one Simona Halep of Romania, seeded 24th, swept into the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over 26th-seeded compatriot Sorana Cirstea.
Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion is in the quarters for the fifth time at Indian Wells, where she lifted the trophy in 2015.
“I think I played super good in the first set,” Halep said. “The second set I started to miss a little bit. But in the big picture it was a great match and I’m super-pleased with the victory.”
Sixth seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece advanced with a victory over Australian qualifier Daria Saville, who was trailing 4-1 when she retired with a left thigh injury.
In other men’s matches, American John Isner powered past Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3.
Isner, who towered over his opponent by 38 centimeters, fired 13 aces and didn’t face a break point.
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