The 2016 BNP Paribas Open started its second week on Monday and the third round completed on the various courts of the beautiful Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Like the days before, Monday had a bunch of high-profile exits in store, as two of the WTA’s most promising youngsters failed to make the round of the last 16.
In the morning, Belinda Bencic lost a tight three-set match to Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova. Bencic’s loss was great news to Roberta Vinci as the Italian won her match against Elina Svitolina, setting Vinci up for a further rise in the rankings that could take her all the way to world #8 depending on the outcome of the tournament.
These ranking regions are still quite a long way off for Eugenie Bouchard, the Canadian who continues to recover from a disastrous 2015. After making the final in Kuala Lumpur, Bouchard’s Indian Wells campaign came to a halt on Monday when Timea Bacsinszky managed to get by the Canadian crowd favorite in three sets.
In the evening, Victoria Azarenka continued what is setting up to become a strong Indian Wells run. The 2012 champion comfortably swept by China’s Zhang Shuai.
The 2016 BNP Paribas Open is quickly heading towards the most exciting stage. Tuesday will have the round of the last sixteen in store, setting us up for an exciting rest of the week in the Californian desert. Keep checking back to Women’s Tennis Blog for all the latest action from Indian Wells all week long!
