SPECIAL THANKS to Jimmie48 Tennis Photography for the photos! Do visit his website for more coverage of the WTA Tour!
The third day of the 2019 #BNPParibasOpen kicks off play for the seeded players — and with the depth of field in women’s tennis currently, some blockbuster action is awaiting us. 16th seed and recent Doha champion #EliseMertens gets her Indian Wells campaign started against one of the game’s biggest rising stars #AmandaAnisimova.
This has been one of the most intriguing clashes which many were expecting when the draw was released. Anisimova, a talented teenage sensation, would go up against one of the biggest tests in her career thus far in Mertens, who is currently ranked 16th in the world.
Anisimova had only faced a top-20 player on five different occasions, posing a decent 2-3 win-loss record at the age of 17. The American’s career started to be in the limelight after her breakthrough run in this event last year, when she defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and earned her maiden and only top-10 win over the in-form Petra Kvitova, ending her winning streak at 15 consecutive matches.
In a year where she also made her first WTA final in Tokyo (International) as a qualifier, Anisimova managed to end the year within the top-100 for the first time and got off to a fantastic start in 2019. She reached the quarterfinals at the ASB Classic before putting in a flawless display against Aryna Sabalenka to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open, becoming the first player born in the 21st century to make the second week of a Major.
Anisimova enters Indian Wells with a first-round retirement against Varvara Flink in Acapulco, having forced to throw in the white towel after being plagued with a virus which was lingering around the tournament site.
However, she started her BNP Paribas Open campaign to defend 240 points in the best possible way as she shrugged off any possibilities of an illness. A matured and spirited display came against the experienced Aleksandra Krunic, shaking off a mid-match hiccup to claim the impressive win in straight sets.
The 17-year-old is projected to fall out of the top-70 if she fails to replicate her stunning result from last year. Nonetheless, she will have nothing to defend through the remainder of the clay and grass court season, providing a good opportunity for her to improve on her ranking.
On the other hand, Mertens is silently having a solid 2019 of her own as well. A two-time WTA winner last year, the Belgian has experienced a delayed resurgence in her career after years of toiling on the lower-tier tournaments. She has built up her reputation of being a powerful player who is an aggressive baseliner and has proven her worth through a series of strong performances recently.
Having dropped out of the top-20 after her disappointing showing at the Australian Open, where she was the defending semifinalist, Mertens rose up to the occasion in style — hoisting the biggest trophy of her life at the Qatar Total Open. She defeated three consecutive top-10 players for the first time in her career, returning to the 16th spot in the rankings as a result of her outstanding run.
To achieve such a feat is difficult — but backing it up would be considered an even tougher task. Mertens was stunned by qualifier Zhu Lin, ranked outside the world’s top-100, in the opening round of the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships after battling for three hours. Struggling with a lower back issue since Doha, the loss could be a blessing in disguise for the Belgian who made use of the extra time to rest and recover from the gruelling stretch.
Although she enters Indian Wells off a loss to Zhu, Mertens got off to a wonderful start in Indian Wells, alongside fellow singles specialist Aryna Sabalenka, after ousting the second seeds and Australian Open finalists Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic in a blockbuster first-round clash in the doubles competition. One would hope that her accomplishments in doubles could aid her in today’s singles competition.
Mertens and Anisimova both adopt a very aggressive playing style although the American has shown to the entire world that patience is a virtue, particularly against Sabalenka in Melbourne. Anisimova was performing at her top level against Krunic earlier in the tournament while Mertens had not competed in a singles match since Dubai, hence the lack of match practice could play a pivotal role here.
Anisimova definitely has the game to complete the upset and judging Mertens’ history with the outrageously slow courts in Indian Wells, the upset alert is turned on for this intriguing encounter. Mertens will be looking for her first win in this amazing tournament but she will have to get straight to business and dominate the baseline from the early stages. However, I will go with Anisimova to defeat a seeded player for the second consecutive year in Indian Wells.
Comentarios