Indian Wells - WTA 3rd round starts

Indian Wells - Day Five, the conclusion of second round matches for the ATP, and third round commencement for the WTA.

BNP Paribas Open - a WTA Premier Mandatory category tournament, on Hard Plexipave, in Indian Wells, California, USA, 4-17 March 2019.

Defending champion:

Naomi Osaka who defeated Dasha Kasatkina (20) 6-3 6-2

WTA third round 

• Qualifier Kateryna Kozlova v Simona Halep (2)

Halep won the toss and elected to receive.  She immediately produced a break point.  Kozlova saved it, and a second with an excellent down the line backhand. but the consistency of Halep eventually wore her down and serve was dropped.

After consolidating to lead 2-0, Halep lost three straight games, the third a lengthy affair where Kozlova saved three break points and was taken to deuce four times before prevailing.  Halep wasn’t prepared to see the set slip away, and quickly held for 3-3, then broke for the second time.

Kozlova, playing some of her best tennis, struck back to level at 5-5, saving a set point on the way.

Kozlova led 6-5 and had Halep 15-30, but the Romanian finished the set strongly, taking the tie break 7-6(3).

Set two saw Kozlova break Halep in both the first and third games.  The problem was not being able to consolidate either time, and games were 2-2.

Halep was the first to actually hold serve, and she won four straight games to reach 5-2, on the precipice of victory.  As she’d done all match Kozlova fought on, breaking Halep in the ninth game and drawing level at 5-5 as she’d done in set one.

Halep reacted in champion mode, rattling off the next and final eight points of the match, including the last, a down the line backhand winner, her 25th winner of the match.

Simona Halep won 7-6(3) 7-5.

• Qiang Wang (18) defeated Elise Mertens (16) 7-6(4) 6-7(4) 6-3
• Kiki Bertens (7) defeated Johanna Konta 7-6(10) 6-4
• Garbiñe Muguruza (20) defeated Serena Williams (10) 6-3 1-0 (retired)
• Wildcard Bianca Andreescu defeated qualifier Stefanie Voegele 6-1 6-2
• Marketa Vondrousova defeated Jelena Ostapenko (22) 4-6 6-3 6-4
• Ash Barty (12) defeated wildcard Jennifer Brady 6-3 6-2
• Elina Svitolina (6) defeated Dasha Gavrilova 7-5 6-4