Sabalenka downs Rodina to reach Indian Wells third round / Photo: Karim SAHIB - AFP
-
Rene Eyre Revisits Autobiographical Performance 'Say A Little Prayer' in London
-
London Museum Granted 24/7 License Ahead of November Opening
-
UAE's HCT Holds Record Graduation and Announces Major Training Expansion
-
Dana White Confirms Flight to Washington for Trump Meeting on Press Secretary Role
-
NASA Awards $10B Lunar Contract Framework to SpaceX, Blue Origin
-
Dengue Fever Expands Into High Himalayas as Climate Change Warms Nepal
-
Katy Perry Tells Fans Ex-Husband Russell Brand 'Should Be in Jail' During UK Concert
-
IoT Refrigerator Hacks Disrupt Blood Labs and Supermarkets Across Europe and US
-
South African election results renew debate over identity-based voting
-
Post-election pressures complicate US and Israeli decisions on Iran
-
South African voters report smoother local election but declining IEC trust
-
UN members approve talks on treaty protocol against environmental crime
-
Dolly Parton museum and Nashville hotel open after singer’s death
-
Family-run West Sussex beach café prepares for first winter season
-
George and Amal Clooney attend New York political-comedy reading
-
CT scans reveal health and burial clues from Egypt’s Braided Lady mummy
-
British buyers pay substantial premiums for period-home appearance
-
Oxford faces complaints over lecturer’s classroom attire
-
Thomas Markle released to house arrest after child-abuse-image charge
Sabalenka downs Rodina to reach Indian Wells third round
Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka eased into the third round of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters 1000 on Friday with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Evgeniya Rodina.
Sabalenka, playing just her second tournament since she lifted her first Grand Slam trophy in Melbourne in January, needed just 65 minutes to dispatch Rodina, who was playing her eighth match since returning to competition at the US Open last year after taking three years away on a second maternity leave.
Sabalenka admitted she didn't even remember that she had played Rodina before, in Tashkent in 2017, but she was pleased to get through with little trouble in a tournament where she has never made it past the round of 16.
Russia's Rodina, who ousted France's Alize Cornet in the first round, offered little resistance. Sabalenka converted five of her 12 break chances and saved all four break points she faced.
Sabalenka, still barred from playing under her native flag of Belarus because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, next faces Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko, who beat 29th-seeded Croatian Donna Vekic 2-6, 6-2. 6-2.
Tsurenko has won four WTA titles and reached the final of the Thailand Open in early February.
Ch.Kahalev--AMWN
