Medvedev powers past Paul into quarters

INDIAN WELLS, California — Russia's Daniil Medvedev shook off a day of rain delays to beat Tommy Paul of the United States 6-4, 6-0 on Tuesday and reach the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, where he's vying to improve on his runner-up finishes at the past two editions.

Taking to the court around 10 pm, four hours after he was slated to open the night session on Stadium Court, Medvedev took full advantage of Paul's 31 unforced errors.

"It wasn't an easy preparation," Medvedev said. "We were both here early, and then rain, rain, rain. I think we both went in rusty, him a little bit more than me."

Paul had his opportunities, rallying after Medvedev jumped to a 4-0 lead to win four straight games.

But, Medvedev won the next eight — pocketing the first set on a pair of Paul forehand errors, then racing through the second to seal it with one final break of the American's serve.

"Pretty strange score," Medvedev said. "Whoever won some games, won them in a row."

Medvedev, who fell to Carlos Alcaraz in each of the last two finals, next faces France's Arthur Fils, a 6-2, 2-6,6-3 winner over American Marcos Giron in a match halted for more than three hours by rain during the first set.

Women's defending champion Iga Swiatek had to wait it out for almost an hour before getting started, but once she did, she produced another brutally efficient 6-1, 6-1 victory over Karolina Muchova, beating the worst of the weather.

The world No 2 from Poland needed just 57 minutes to put away Muchova, who took her to three sets in the 2023 French Open final.

Swiatek, the 2022 and 2024 winner, didn't face a break point, as she continued her bid to become the first woman to win three titles in the California desert.

She said the weather was an extra spur to finish it quickly, especially after the rain came again near the end of the contest.

"On last two games, it was a bit slippery already, but I really wanted to finish. So, I kind of played more risky, but the shots were still in," said Swiatek, who will face China's Zheng Qinwen for a place in the semifinals.

Zheng rolled past Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-2, despite the off-and-on showers causing multiple delays.

Stop and start

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, ranked 23rd, shrugged off the three-hour stoppage at the start of her third set to upset world No 4 Jessica Pegula 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.

"Definitely was not easy with all the conditions and the rain, stop and start," Svitolina said. "I warmed up maybe, like, 10 times today."

Svitolina booked a meeting with 17-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva, who beat 2023 Indian Wells champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 6-1, 6-2.

Andreeva has now won two matches in three weeks against world No 7 Rybakina — a former Wimbledon champion. She beat Rybakina in the semifinals in Dubai on the way to becoming the youngest ever WTA 1000 champion.

In other men's matches, Denmark's Holger Rune beat in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4.

Greece's Tsitsipas was coming off winning his first title in nearly a year in Dubai last month, but Rune, ranked 13th, snapped the world No 9's seven-match ATP win streak with an aggressive game that included 22 winners.

Up 4-3 in the second set, Rune saved a break point with a dazzling between-the-legs shot, racing back to the baseline after a Tsitsipas lob, and batting the tweener that dropped perfectly to deny the Greek.

"Mentally, I was very, very good," Rune said. "I think that's what made the difference — how composed I was able to stay."

Rune next faces 43rd-ranked Tallon Griekspoor, who upset top seed Alexander Zverev in the second round.

AFP