Sunday’s Round of 32 match of the Indian Wells ended in success for World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 16 Naomi Osaka. Both ace shuttlers have powered through to enter the Round of 16 round where they will face each other. Sabalenka edged past Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian, while Osaka defeated Colombia’s Camila Osorio. Meanwhile, fourth-ranked Coco Gauff retired hurt due to a left arm injury.
Sabalenka defeated Cristian in straight sets by 6-4, 6-1. The Belarusian is aiming to win her first title of the ATP and WTA Masters 1000 event after losing the finals on two occasions. Meanwhile, Japan’s Osaka avenged her last year’s first-round loss to Colombia’s Osorio after defeating her in sets of 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.
Meanwhile, Gauff played her fourth-round match against the Philippines Alexandra Eala. After losing the first set by 2-6, Gauff entered the second trailing at 0-2 and soon after she sustained a left arm injury that forced her to retire from the match midway.
Sharing her experience of the pain, Gauff said, “Felt like a firework going off inside of my arm, and then my whole arm felt like it was on fire. And then as the match played, it got progressively worse, even on shots that I wasn’t even using my left arm for … it was a scary feeling.”
In the first set, Gauff took a medical timeout after trailing 2-5. She experienced pain on her left side and got herself checked by a trainer who massaged her left arm and shoulder. However, after going into the second set and at 54 minutes into the match, the American decided to call the match off.
Eala was left disappointed with the match resulting in a midway stoppage but wished her American opponent a speedy recovery. “I really didn’t want to win this way. But this is still a really big moment for me to be able to play on Stadium One of Indian Wells and against such a great competitor,” Eala said.
Sabalenka vs. Osaka prepare for second meeting
Both Sabalenka and Osaka have faced each other in their first and only meeting at the Round of 16 stage of the 2018 US Open tournament. Osaka had defeated the Belarusian by sets of 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Eight years later the two will battle it out in R16 of the Indian Wells 2026.
For Osaka, the excitement is building up as she gears up to face the World No. 1 shuttler for the second time on Tuesday, March 10.
“I mean, for me, it’s really exciting. I have watched her, I don’t want to say grow over the years, because I think she’s only a little bit younger than me and I feel like an old person, but yeah, I have watched her grow over the years. Obviously, she’s so consistent, she’s the No. 1 player in the world and it’s, for me, very motivating. I’m excited to play her, and I’m looking forward to it a lot,” Osaka said.
Meanwhile, for Sabalenka this opportunity will see whether she turns up successful to avenge her loss against Osaka.
