Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the quarterfinals of a WTA event for the first time since 2020, beating Germany’s Angelique Kerber 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.
Both players returned from maternity leave within the past year, and both have been atop the world rankings. Tuesday marked the 16th all-time meeting of the close friends, though they hadn’t faced off since 2018. Wozniacki leveled the series 8-8.
“I don’t take anything for granted,” Wozniacki, 33, said postmatch. “I took a long time off, more than 3 1/2 years, for me to be back here on this court and playing against the best players in the world is a special feeling.
“I’m just enjoying myself and I’m just thrilled that I get another match in front of all of you guys.”
The crowd got a quick look at No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland, who needed just 71 minutes to demolish Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 6-2.
No. 28 seed Anastasia Potapova of Russia overcame a dismal performance in the second set to complete a 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 upset of 13th-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini.
Potapova rallied from a 5-4 deficit in the first set before things went awry in the second. Paolini was dominant, winning five of six second-serve points and converting three of four break points during the set, which also featured six double faults from Potapova.
After dropping the first game of the third set, Potapova rattled off three straight games and never let Paolini draw even the rest of the way.
“Let’s just forget about that second set,” Potapova said. “I’m really happy that I found this focus inside myself and could manage to finish this match.”
The secret behind the recovery? A pep talk in front of the mirror.
“When I went to the bathroom, I just looked in the mirror and said to myself, ‘Well it’s now or never,'” Potapova said. “You have to try your best, just fight for every point and just don’t let it go.”
In the quarterfinals, Potapova will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, the No. 31 seed. Kostyuk also recorded an upset Tuesday, doing so in a much easier fashion, beating No. 22 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-4, 6-1.
–Field Level Media
