Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur exited the Indian Wells tournament after a straight-sets defeat to Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo, going down 7-5, 6-3. Despite entering as the ninth seed and holding the world number 10 rank, de Minaur continued a disappointing trend at the event known as tennis' "fifth major," failing once again to advance to the quarterfinal stage. Earlier this year, the Australian had emerged victorious over Cerúndolo at the Australian Open, but this time his inconsistent play, highlighted by 39 unforced errors, led to a loss in just under two hours.
Cerúndolo, seeded 25th at Indian Wells, expressed great satisfaction with his performance, acknowledging the challenge posed by de Minaur. The Argentine noted he had learned from their earlier matchup at the Australian Open, calling the win over his top-10 opponent especially rewarding.
In other significant outings, promising American talent Ben Shelton reached a notable milestone, becoming the youngest American man since Andy Roddick in 2004 to make the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. Shelton impressed fans with a strong showing, defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (6), 6-1, and demonstrating dominance in the second set by racing to a quick 5-0 lead. Shelton, seeded 11th, maintained his unbeaten record against Nakashima, who continues to struggle against his younger rival.
On the women's side of the draw, a major upset saw 28-year-old Swiss wild card Belinda Bencic rally from behind to defeat third seed Coco Gauff in a closely contested three-set encounter. After dropping the opening set 3-6, Bencic recovered strongly to eventually prevail 6-3, 6-4 in the next two sets. Notably, Bencic avenged her earlier Australian Open loss to Gauff, who struggled on serve throughout the encounter, committing eight double faults. This defeat, occurring just a day before Gauff’s 21st birthday, marks a disappointing early exit for the reigning US Open champion.
Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Madison Keys produced a remarkable comeback against 19th-seeded Donna Vekić, overcoming a first-set loss and a precarious 5-3 deficit in the second set to seal victory with scores of 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3. Keys extended her impressive winning streak to 15 matches with this hard-fought triumph.
In a more straightforward match, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka had little trouble in dispatching Sonay Kartal, winning comfortably in straight sets 6-1, 6-2. For Kartal, this match represented her first experience facing a top-10 player, and Sabalenka's dominance proved overwhelming.
5 Comments
Africa
Excited to see who will emerge victorious in the coming rounds. The competition is heating up! 🔥
Manolo Noriega
Bencic with the amazing comeback against Gauff! What a fighter! 💪
Fuerza
Loving the variety of players making deep runs in this tournament. It's anyone's game! 🎲
Manolo Noriega
Shelton is the real deal! Can't wait to see him take on the big names. 💥
Fuerza
Keys showing her resilience with that victory over Vekić. Never give up! 🏆