* Stephens wins Indian Wells opener but remains in danger of losing Top Fifty spot
* Falconi likely to hit Top Hundred after shock win over Tomljanovic
* Barthel edges Mladenovic to make Top Forty spot probable
Singles – First Round: Monica Niculescu def. Aleksandra Krunic 6-2 6-1
Monica Niculescu defends her points, which will probably suffice to keep her above #70. Aleksandra Krunic will remain below that mark.
Singles – First Round: Donna Vekic def. (WC) Louisa Chirico 6-4 6-3
Donna Vekic, despite some very high-profile results, seems to have gotten stuck well below the Top Fifty (she came here ranked #84, and needs more than this to climb), but facing an opponent ranked #145 helps….
Singles – First Round: Katerina Siniakova def. (Q) Evgeniya Rodina 6-3 6-3
Katerina Siniakova faces Svetlana Kuznetsova next. Given how poorly Kuznetsova has played this year, that could be pretty interesting.
Singles – First Round: Sloane Stephens def. Chanelle Scheepers 7-5 7-5
A pretty good start for Sloane Stephens, considering how little she has played this year and the fact that she had lost her last three matches, but it’s not much help to her ranking; she still has 180 more points to defend, and could fall below the Top Fifty if she loses her next match.
Singles – First Round: Mona Barthel def. Kristina Mladenovic 6-3 5-7 6-4
Mona Barthel just missed seeding here; this may well put her in the Top Forty. Kristina Mladenovic remains below the Top Sixty.
Singles – First Round: (Q) Alison van Uytvanck def. Kurumi Nara 4-6 6-3 6-2
Kurumi Nara will remain below #50 — possibly below #55. Alison van Uytvanck, #118 coming in, needs more than this to return to the Top Hundred.
Singles – First Round: Marina Erakovic def. (WC) Grace Min 6-3 6-1
The ranking gap here was small — only 18 places. But Grace Min really seems to fade in and out. We’d guess she’ll stay Top Hundred, but the loss means that she is still in some very faint danger of falling below that.
Singles – First Round: Elena Vesnina def. (Q) Kateryna Kozlova 6-3 6-3
These days, matches between Russians and Ukrainians tend to be interesting, but this one wasn’t particularly dramatic. Elena Vesnina will probably move back above #65; Kateryna Kozlova is flirting with the Top Hundred, but we’d guess she won’t quite make it.
Singles – First Round: (WC) Sachia Vickery def. Alla Kudryavtseva 7-6(8-6) 7-6(8-6)
This was the day’s only match between two players both ranked below #100, and obviously Alla Kudryavtseva is going to stay there. Sachia Vickery likely will as well, given that she came in ranked only #152; other than Vera Zvonareva and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, whose rankings are low because of injury, she is the lowest-ranked player in the draw.
Singles – First Round: (Q) Daria Gavrilova def. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-3 6-4
This is officially a fairly big upset, but it’s not much of a surprise; Daria Gavrilova has been playing quite well lately. She’ll need to do even better than this if she wants to last past the next round; she faces Simona Halep next. Still, we’d guess she’s picked up enough points to hit the Top Hundred even if she loses.
Singles – First Round: (WC) Irina Falconi def. Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6(8-6) 6-4
There were several upsets on this day, but this may be the biggest; there is a fifty ranking spot difference between these two. Irina Falconi, after years in the wilderness, may well hit the Top Hundred; Ajla Tomljanovic loses her chance to hit the Top Fifty.
Singles – First Round: (Q) Lara Arruabarreno def. Magdalena Rybarikova 6-0 6-1
Whatever was wrong with Magdalena Rybarikova, it was bad; she won only nine points in the first set, and only 24 in the whole match. She’ll lose at least one ranking spot, and our guess would be that it will be one or two more than that.
Singles – First Round: Monica Puig def. (WC) Nicole Gibbs 6-3 7-5
Monica Puig lost her opener last year, so this just about guarantees that she will stay Top Fifty.
Singles – First Round: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Johanna Larsson 6-4 6-3
Once again Johanna Larsson falls just short of the Top Fifty; she won’t rise above her current #52, and we’d guess she’ll fall a spot or two.
Singles – First Round: Heather Watson def. Julia Goerges 6-4 5-7 6-3
Julia Goerges will almost certainly remain below #60 after this. Heather Watson needs one more win to defend her points, but we’d guess she’ll stay above #45.
Singles – First Round: Alison Riske def. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-2 6-3
We haven’t seem much from Alison Riske lately, but you’d never know it from this result! Riske is now only about fifty points away from the Top Forty; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni will stay in the #60 range.
Doubles – First Round: (8) Hlavackova/Hradecka def. Gajdosova/Torro-Flor 6-1 6-2
Doubles – First Round: Olaru/Savchuk def. Mattek-Sands/Safarova 3-6 7-5 11-9
This may prove to be the craziest doubles result of the entire tournament. Mattek-Sands/Safarova are unseeded, but only because Bethane Mattek-Sands has been injured for so long. They were, after all, the Australian Open champions!
Doubles – First Round: Krajicek/Zahlavova Strycova def. Jurak/Koukalova 5-7 7-5 10-6
Doubles – First Round: Raymond/Stosur def. Aoyama/Voracova 7-5 6-3
This is perhaps a little surprising. Raymond/Stosur were a great team in their heyday, but they have a history of struggling every time they start playing together — and Stosur hasn’t been playing much doubles lately and Lisa Raymond (who is, after all, 41 years old) is down to #61 in the doubles rankings.
Doubles – First Round: Lisicki/Petkovic def. H Chan/Jankovic 6-1 6-7(4-7) 10-5
In another two weeks, Sabine Lisicki has to defend the Miami title she won with Martina Hingis last year. By the looks of things, she wants to get some practice in before that.
Estimated WTA Rankings As of March 11, 2015
Rank &
Prior
Rank …Name …………. Points
1..(1) SWILLIAMS ……… 9602*
2..(2) SHARAPOVA ……… 8160*
3..(4) Kvitova ……….. 6275
4..(3) HALEP …………. 6191*
5..(5) WOZNIACKI ……… 4715*
6..(6) IVANOVIC ………..4370*
7..(7) BOUCHARD ………..4196*
8..(8) ARADWANSKA ………3425*
9..(9) MAKAROVA ………..3365*
10.(10) PETKOVIC ………..3190*
11.(11) SAFAROVA ………..2940*
12.(12) ERRANI ………….2695*
13.(14) KERBER ………….2650*
14.(13) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..2605*
15.(15) KAPLISKOVA ………2565*
16.(17) VWilliams ……… 2550
17.(18) KEYS ……………2075*
18.(19) Peng ……………2045
19.(22) MUGURUZA ………..2015*
20.(20) ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA .2000*
21.(21) JANKOVIC ………..1825*
22.(24) CORNET ………….1815*
23.(26) BACSINSZKY ………1791*
24.(25) STOSUR ………….1780*
25.(23) Cibulkova ……… 1742
26.(28) GARCIA ………….1730*
27.(29) SVITOLINA ……… 1715*
28.(27) KUZNETSOVA ………1705*
29.(30) LISICKI ……….. 1651*
30.(16) PENNETTA ………..1570*
Draws
Indian Wells — Week of March 9
1 S Williams (WC)
28 Diyas
22 Kuznetsova
13 Kerber
10 Safarova
23 Svitolina
27 Bacsinszky
8 Makarova
3 Halep
26 Lepchenko
19 Muguruza
14 Ka. Pliskova
12 Suarez Navarro
17 Zahlavova Strycova
29 Giorgi
7 A Radwanska
6 Bouchard
30 Vandeweghe
20 Cornet
9 Petkovic
16 Keys
18 Jankovic
31 Bencic
4 Wozniacki
5 Ivanovic
25 Garcia
24 Lisicki
11 Errani
15 Pennetta
21 Stosur
32 Azarenka
2 Sharapova
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 S Williams (WC)
2 Sharapova
3 Halep
4 Wozniacki
5 Ivanovic
6 Bouchard
7 A Radwanska
8 Makarova
9 Petkovic
10 Safarova
11 Errani
12 Suarez Navarro
13 Kerber
14 Ka. Pliskova
15 Pennetta
16 Keys
17 Zahlavova Strycova
18 Jankovic
19 Muguruza
20 Cornet
21 Stosur
22 Kuznetsova
23 Svitolina
24 Lisicki
25 Garcia
26 Lepchenko
27 Bacsinszky
28 Diyas
29 Giorgi
30 Vandeweghe
31 Bencic
32 Azarenka
WEDNESDAY
Indian Wells
Singles – First Round
Monica Niculescu def. Aleksandra Krunic 6-2 6-1
Donna Vekic def. (WC) Louisa Chirico 6-4 6-3
Katerina Siniakova def. (Q) Evgeniya Rodina 6-3 6-3
Sloane Stephens def. Chanelle Scheepers 7-5 7-5
Mona Barthel def. Kristina Mladenovic 6-3 5-7 6-4
(Q) Alison van Uytvanck def. Kurumi Nara 4-6 6-3 6-2
Marina Erakovic def. (WC) Grace Min 6-3 6-1
Elena Vesnina def. (Q) Kateryna Kozlova 6-3 6-3
(WC) Sachia Vickery def. Alla Kudryavtseva 7-6(8-6) 7-6(8-6)
(Q) Daria Gavrilova def. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-3 6-4
(WC) Irina Falconi def. Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6(8-6) 6-4
(Q) Lara Arruabarreno def. Magdalena Rybarikova 6-0 6-1
Monica Puig def. (WC) Nicole Gibbs 6-3 7-5
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Johanna Larsson 6-4 6-3
Heather Watson def. Julia Goerges 6-4 5-7 6-3
Alison Riske def. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-2 6-3
Doubles – First Round
(8) Hlavackova/Hradecka def. Gajdosova/Torro-Flor 6-1 6-2
Olaru/Savchuk def. Mattek-Sands/Safarova 3-6 7-5 11-9
Krajicek/Zahlavova Strycova def. Jurak/Koukalova 5-7 7-5 10-6
Raymond/Stosur def. Aoyama/Voracova 7-5 6-3
Lisicki/Petkovic def. H Chan/Jankovic 6-1 6-7(4-7) 10-5
Content via Bob Larson tennis news service.
Topics: BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Tennis
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