Home favorite Emma Navarro created a miraculous comeback in her Indian Wells opener but didn’t manage to do so against Donna Vekic as the No. 19 seed claimed a 7-6 (5) 6-1 win.
After saving two consecutive match points and recovering from a 3-5 third-set deficit against Sorana Cirstea, the American struggled heavily on her serve early on against the Croatian. But 10th-seeded Navarro four times recovered from a break down in the first set to ultimately force a tie-break.
However, Vekic – who twice failed to serve out for the set in the 10th and 12th games – remained calm and won three points in a row from 4-5 to win an extremely tight first set.
From that moment on, there was only one player on the court as the 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist registered three breaks in the second set to complete a straight-set win.
It was the second between the two and the Croatian now owns a 2-0 head-to-head record, having also won their 2023 Montreal meeting.
Vekic reacts to beating Navarro
For the 28-year-old, who is making her 10th Indian Wells appearance this year, this is the first time that she has made it past the third round in the desert. And she didn’t hide her happiness about it.
“This is my 10th time in the desert. First time in round 4. I always love coming back here. The desert didn’t love me til now. It’s starting to show some love,” the 28-year-old Croatian said following her win.
For a place in the Indian Wells quarterfinal, Vekic will now battle against another American – Madison Keys. When they meet, it will be their fourth clash but also the first one in six years. In the past, Keys beat Vekic at the 2016 French Open and the 2018 Rome Open while the Croatian won their lone-hard court battle in 2019 Toronto.
Tennis World USA