Top seed and World No. 1 ranked Aryna Sabalenka will be in action at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells Tuesday to take on former No. 1 Naomi Osaka in the pair’s first tennis match since a 2018 clash at the U.S. Open.
“For me, it’s really exciting,” Osaka said. “I have watched her, I don’t want to say `grow over the years’ because I think she’s only a little bit younger than me and I feel like an old person, but yeah, I have watched her grow over the years.
“She’s so consistent, she’s the No. 1 player in the world and it’s for me very motivating,” Osaka added. ”I’m excited to play her and I’m looking forward to it a lot.”
The 27-year-old Sabalenka, from Belarus, returned the compliment.
“Well, it would be for sure a fashion show at the beginning,” Sabalenka said, referring to when Osaka wore a leopard-inspired outfit and gold jewelry on her face in her opening match at Indian Wells this year.
“Then a crazy match. She’s a great player. Came back after pregnancy. Incredible shape. I have been watching her matches, really admire her.”
Osaka won their 2018 match in the fourth round of the U.S. Open, though neither won the tournament that year. Osaka, from Japan, has won four majors, the same total as Sabalenka.
Tuesday’s other women’s matches feature sixth-seeded American Amanda Anisimova against Canada’s Victoria Mboko, Alexandra Eala from the Philippines against Linda Nosková of Czechia, and Australian Talia Gibson taking on Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
Defending champion Mirra Andreeva of Russia, who was seeded 8th, was knocked out of the draw by Katerina Siniakova of Czechia on Monday, losing 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.
It was a fiery exit for the 18-year-old Andreeva, who threw her racket and appeared to curse at the crowd on her way off the court.
“I can say that there were a lot of emotions that I was going through after the loss. But of course I’m not really proud of how I managed it. I’m not really proud of how I handled it in the end,” she said in a news conference after the match.
“Those are the things that really need to work on soon. I don’t know. Not in the future but whenever I get the chance.”
Andreeva said she was not necessarily angry at the fans.
“It was to myself, to everyone, basically. I mean, after the loss, I just get very angry, so I say those things sometimes to myself. I mean, first to myself, of course, but then, yeah, it was just anger coming out, just a lot of emotions. Not really towards anyone.”
On the men’s side, Tuesday’s slate of four matches features American Learner Tien of Irvine taking on Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich. The 20-year-old Tien is seeded 25th at Indian Wells and is currently the 27th-ranked men’s player in the world, while Davidovich is seeded 18th, and is 19th in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) men’s singles rankings.
Tuesday’s other matches are highlighted by No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner of Italy taking on Brazil’s Joao Fonseca. Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany will play American Frances Tiafoe, seeded 21st. And Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime will take on France’s Arthur Fils.
No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare against France’s Arthur Rinderknech on Monday, winning 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.
The word’s No. 1 ranked male player expressed his appreciation for the vocal support of fans at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “Every time we warm up, every time we go to the practice court or the players’ lawn, in this case I’m just feeling really loved here. I love it here in Indian Wells. I love the people, I love the vibe, I love everything here at Indian Wells.”
Alcaraz will face 13th-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
The tournament concludes Sunday. More information can be found at bnpparibasopen.com.