IMAGE: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz reacts after winning a point against France’s Quentin Halys in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open, at Indian Well Tennis Garden, CA, USA, on Saturday. Photograph: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images/Reuters
Australian Open champion Madison Keys crushed Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-0 at Indian Wells on Saturday in her first match as a Grand Slam champion, while Carlos Alcaraz began his bid for an Indian Wells three-peat with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Quentin Halys.
Alcaraz is looking to join tennis greats Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only players to have triumphed three successive times in ‘Tennis Paradise’.
“I couldn’t wait to start the tournament, to get here again,” Alcaraz said on a sunsoaked Stadium One court after dispatching his French opponent.
“Outside my country, this is my favorite tournament by far. It’s a privilege.”
Alcaraz will play Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the third round.
Twelve months ago, a swarm of bees on Stadium One court stung Alcaraz and suspended play for nearly two hours during his quarter-final.
Lance Davis of ‘Killer Bee Live Removal’ played the hero that day, removing the bees from moving camera over the court without harming them and Alcaraz and Davis met at the net before Saturday’s match where they shook hands and shared a laugh.
While Alcaraz is already a four-time major champion at the age of 21, Keys had to wait a few weeks shy of her 30th birthday before finally joining that exclusive club in Melbourne and that success seems to have energised her.
Keys broke Russian Potapova’s serve for a third time to clinch the first set and rolled through the one-sided second set under sunny skies in the California desert to extend her winning streak to 13 matches.
“I’m so happy to be here,” Keys said in an interview on center court.
“Australia was obviously an amazing moment so it’s really nice to be playing at home for my first tournament back at a place I’ve played at so many times in front of some amazing people.”
Next up for world number five Keys is a third-round meeting with either 28th seed Elise Mertens or Kimberly Birrell of Australia, who play later on Saturday.
Seventh seed Andrey Rublev was upset 6-4, 7-5 by Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi while Britain’s Jack Draper beat Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in other second round action.
American Taylor Fritz, who lifted the trophy here three years ago, struggled to close out Italian Matteo Gigante but ultimately prevailed 6-3, 7-5 in front of a full house on Stadium Two court.
Fritz was unable to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set but broke back in the next game en route to the finish.
The third seed said he was being patient with himself as he was coming off an abdominal injury he suffered right after the Australian Open that kept him out of the tournament in Acapulco last month.
“There’s definitely things I could have done better in the match but overall it was a pretty solid match,” he said.
“I can’t expect to come back and play perfect tennis. I’ve been injured, so I didn’t have ideal prep coming into the tournament.”
Fritz will face 30th-seeded Chilean Alejandro Tabilo for a spot in the round of 16.
