Djokovic, Osaka Go Down in Indian Wells

March 13, 2019 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
joker crop
Photo courtesy of USTA/Darren Carroll

 

It was a thrilling day of tennis in the desert of Indian Wells, Calif. on Tuesday, as the top seeds in both men’s and women’s singles were defeated in straight sets.

Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber ousted world number one Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4 in a match that was resumed on Tuesday after play was suspended on Monday. The 39th ranked player in the world carried a 0-11 record against world number ones before taking out Djokovic.

“It’s a very special win today,” said Kohlschreiber. “I had a great strategy to play against him. I had two good wins [entering the match]. So everything came together. Very special to beat the No. 1. Unfortunately the tournament is not over. I have to get back tomorrow with a great mindset. Today I want to take the moment, celebrate with my coach.”

Kohlscreiber will square off against Gael Monfils in a fourth-round matchup.

On the women’s side, world number one Naomi Osaka was taken out by Belinda Bencic, who has been one of the most in-form players in the WTA so far in 2019. Bencic needed just one hour and five minutes to beat Osaka 6-3, 6-1.

“She’s the No. 1 player in the world. She won everything in the past couple of months. I played, I think, a great match. I’m really happy with myself,” said Bencic. “I think I served really good. The first set was great for me, and then I just tried to keep it like that. It was a little bit more windy in the second set, but I think tactic-wise, I played very solid.”

Bencic moves on to play fifth-seed Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals.

 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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