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Indian Wells Tennis 2019: Early Scores and Results from Monday
March 11, 2019
Alexander Zverev was knocked out of Indian Wells 2019 on Monday after German countryman Jan-Lennard Struff easily bested his third-round opponent 6-3, 6-1.
No. 3 seed Zverev recently overcame illness before the California competition but didn't look his usual self as Struff made light work of his foe to set up a fourth-round fixture opposite Milos Raonic.
Raonic survived a scare against underdog Marcos Giron to progress with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win, while Ivo Karlovic beat Prajnesh Gunneswaran in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Angelique Kerber hit back from a set down to edge Natalia Vikhlyantseva 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, and she'll face ninth seed Aryna Sabalenka following her straight-sets beating of Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko.
No. 5 seed Karolina Pliskova clinched a routine 6-3, 6-2 win over Belgian qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure. She'll take on 21st seed Anett Kontaveit, who conserved energy after 11th seed Anastasija Sevatsova retired at 5-0 down in their third-round meeting.
Monday's Early Results
Men's Singles
(13) Milos Raonic bt. Marcos Giron: 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Ivo Karlovic bt. Prajnesh Gunneswaran: 6-3, 7-6 (3)
Jan-Lennard Struff bt. (3) Alexander Zverev: 6-3, 6-1
Women's Singles
(21) Anett Kontaveit bt. (11) Anastasija Sevatsova (retired): 5-0
(8) Angelique Kerber bt. Natalia Vikhlyantseva: 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
(5) Karolina Pliskova bt. Ysaline Bonaventure: 6-3, 6-2
(9) Aryna Sabalenka bt. (24) Lesia Tsurenko: 6-2, 7-5
Recap
Things didn't go as bad as his opening-match exit at Indian Wells 2018, but Zverev will nevertheless be badly disappointed to have exited in the early phases once more following Monday's swift defeat to Struff.
Despite having played a game more than his opponent in California, Struff took his second straight-sets result of the competition so far and went through their match without suffering a break.
Zverev was visibly angered at points and took his frustrations out on his racquet, having not fared much better than last year's second-round departure. Tennis writer Christopher Clarey hinted there was something not right with the 21-year-old:
Whether it was a hangover from his recent illness or the wrong tactical approach to Struff—who already knocked John Millman and Ricardas Berankis out—Zverev will have to wait at least another year for Indian Wells honours.
The chances look decidely better for Raonic, meanwhile, after he thundered back from 1-4 down in the third and final set of his clash with Giron to pull off an unlikely comeback, via Tennis TV:
The Canadian may fancy himself more so against Struff than he would have against Zverev, though it's clear a difficult German enemy stands in his way regardless.
American Giron had achieved upsets against Alex de Minaur and Jeremy Chardy to reach the third round, and he continued to impress even on his way out of the reckoning, via ATP Tour:
Gunneswaran was also forced out of the running following a straight-sets loss to Karlovic, but he too managed to give a good account of his abilities in defeat:
Kontaveit was in the ascendancy early on against Latvian Sevastova, who looked emotional as she was forced to retire at 5-0 down, via the WTA:
That result marked one surprise in the women's competition, and Vikhlyantseva almost rounded off another before Kerber came to in their second set and regained momentum to advance.
Kerber dropped three breaks in a disastrous first set but restored form to swing the balance back in her favour late on, per sportswriter Jose Morgado:
The German will be promised an even greater challenge against No. 9 seed Sabalenka, who also showed some signs of weakness in the third round but saw off Tsurenko in straight sets.