The WTA Tour’s Indian Wells Masters progresses into the last 16 as Damien Kayat previews the clash between the evergreen duo of Carline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber as well as the match-up between Coco Gauff and Elise Mertens.
2024 WTA Tour – WTA 1000
Indian Wells Masters
Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Selected Ro16 Matches – 13 March
Caroline Wozniacki 79/100 vs Angelique Kerber 1/1
This feels like a match for the times, touching on all the familiar nostalgic beats that you will find in Stranger Things or the new Ghostbusters franchise. This battle of former WTA Tour World No.1’s is ripped right from the Obama administration and makes me think one thing: why did Ashleigh Barty retire again?
But I digress. Dane Caroline Wozniacki has looked like a woman possessed this week, determined to prove her naysayers wrong after her disappointing start to the year. She electrified the tennis world with her fourth-round run at last year’s US Open.
But her decision to come out of retirement was starting to look a little ill-judged following a dismal start to the year. But she clearly has an affinity for this arena and she has looked more composed in the Californian desert. A winner here in 2011 and also a two-time runner-up, Wozniacki has won three consecutive matches in a week for the first time since her commendable US Open return.
She beat Zhu and 25th seed Vekic in straight sets before a solid three-sets win over the wonderfully named Volynets. The defensive baseliner is made for these slow conditions and she will be feeling confident of reaching a first quarterfinal here since 2017.
Fellow counterpuncher Angelique Kerber only returned to action at the beginning of the year following an 18-month pregnancy hiatus. She actually helped Germany lift the United Cup despite only winning one of her five matches.
She then lost back-to-back matches in Melbourne and Linz. So, it was with a certain amount of trepidation that she came into this year’s Indian Wells Masters. I did have the feeling that the German might thrive in these conditions.
Sure, most of her success has come on quicker surfaces. But she still moves brilliantly and is able to retrieve plenty on these courts. She soundly beat Martic in her opener before orchestrating a brilliant comeback against the mercurial Ostapenko.
She then produced a stellar display to take down 17th seed Kudermetova. And she has a solid record in this event, reaching the final in 2019 to go with back-to-back semi-finals in 2012 and 2013. In fact, victory against Wozniacki would help her register her sixth quarter-final finish here.
Verdict: Kerber to win in three sets 39/10
This is the latest chapter in what has been a storied rivalry. Kerber has a slight edge with an 8-7 head-to-head advantage. Having said that, Wozniacki actually leads their hardcourt rivalry 6-5. In fact, the Dane beat Kerber in a classic on these courts back in 2013.
I really think this is going to be very tight affair. The German has always suffered with her serve and that could give the Dane some opportunities to attack her delivery. But Kerber has moved brilliantly thus far and she could have the edge in side-to-side movement. I ultimately think that Kerber may just pip the Dane.
Coco Gauff | Elise Mertens betting tba
Third-seed Coco Gauff is really starting to find her grove at Indian Wells. She looked awfully tight in her opener against the hard-hitting Burel, hitting plenty of errors and serving double-faults for free as she was forced to claw her way back from a near insurmountable deficit.
She looked more assured against Bronzetti and victory in this encounter will see her match her quarter-final run here last season. Gauff has enjoyed a stellar start to the campaign, defending her title in Auckland before a brilliant semi-final run at the Aussie Open.
And let’s not overlook the absolutely sensational winning streak she currently has in the States. She has now gone 18 matches unbeaten in America since the start of last year’s Citi Open (winning titles in Washington, Cincinnati and Flushing Meadows). A former French Open finalist, Gauff’s supreme athleticism should make her an ideal candidate for success on these courts.
28-year-old Belgian Elise Mertens has compiled some impressive results over the last six months or so and she won’t be a pushover on these surfaces. The arch-baseliner won the Jasmin Open towards the end of last year and she reached the final of the Hobart Open at the start of this one.
She lost narrowly to Kostyuk in a tense 2nd round tie at the Aussie Open but she did go on to lift the doubles title playing alongside Hsieh Su-wei. And she hasn’t dropped a set this week, taking down the resurgent Naomi Osaka in straight sets last time out. Mertens hits solidly from the baseline but the backhand wing is certainly her strongest.
She will look to flatten out that backhand down the line to expose any lingering weaknesses on the Gauff forehand wing.
Verdict: Gauff to win in three sets
Gauff leads the head-to-head 3-0, coming back from a set down en route to her US Open triumph last year. I think this could be tighter than people think. Mertens has been solidly for some time and Gauff really struggled for rhythm against Burel. Still, I think Gauff’s class will see her over the line and into a 2nd consecutive Indian Wells quarterfinal.
