Staff Reporter.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz powered past Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the third round of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters.
The Spaniard, ranked No 2 in the world, didn’t face a break point as he launched his bid for a third Masters 1000 title and a return to No 1.
He needed just one hour and 16 minutes to get past Kokkinakis, ranked 94th in the world, and line up a meeting with Tallon Griekspoor, the number 31 seed from the Netherlands who beat Argentina’s Guido Pella 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4).
Alcaraz, whose US Open triumph last year saw him become the youngest ever world No 1, missed the Australian Open after an abdominal tear in late 2022 and then a hamstring injury sidelined him for four months.
He returned last month to win the title in Buenos Aires before falling in the final at Rio de Janeiro, where he was again hindered by a hamstring strain that prompted him to pull out of the ATP tournament in Acapulco.
There was no sign of the injury on Saturday, when he dropped just one point on his serve in the opening set.
An early break gave him a 3-0 lead. Kokkinakis began to hold with confidence, but in the end he had no answer for Alcaraz’s speed and power.
Meanwhile World No 1 Iga Swiatek launched her bid for a rare Indian Wells repeat with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 victory over 56th-ranked American Claire Liu.
Neither Liu nor the breezy conditions on Stadium Court troubled Swiatek, who is seeking to become just the second woman to sucessfully defend her title at the prestigious Indian Wells hard court tournament after Martina Navratilova in 1990 and 1991.
Liu saved a match point as she finally held serve in the penultimate game, the crowd roaring when she slipped a forehand passing shot under Swiatek’s guard on game point.
It brought a smile to Liu’s face, but Swiatek closed it out in the next game after 65 minutes.
The 21-year-old from Warsaw, who successfully defended her title in Doha last month before falling in the final at Dubai, next faces either US wildcard Peyton Stearns or 2021 Indian Wells champion Bianca Andreescu of Canada.