INDIAN WELLS, California — Newly minted Australian Open champion Madison Keys crushed Anastasia Potapova 6-3 6-0 at Indian Wells in her first match as a Grand Slam champion while fellow American Taylor Fritz also advanced in straight sets.
Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz launched his bid for a rare Indian Wells three-peat with a bang, racing into the third round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over France’s Quentin Halys.
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 after the match.
“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,” Keys added according to Reuters.
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.
Californian Fritz, who lifted the trophy here three years ago, struggled to reach the finish line against 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.”
The four-time Grand Slam winner from Spain is vying to join Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only players to win three straight Indian Wells ATP Masters titles.
He admitted he was feeling some nerves to start the match, but they evaporated amid a strong all-around performance.
One early break staked Alcaraz to the first set, and he roared to a 4-0 lead in the second behind a formidable service display.
He finished with seven aces and saved the only break point he faced, securing the win in 67 minutes.
Since his quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open Alcaraz has captured the title in Rotterdam, where he shook off a cold to claim the first indoor trophy of his career.
At No 3 the Spaniard is the highest-ranked player left in the draw, with top-ranked Jannik Sinner serving a drugs ban and No 2 Alexander Zverev crashing out in his opener.
Brazilian teen sensation Joao Fonseca tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, beaten 6-4, 6-0 by 13th-seeded Jack Draper of Britain.
Spurred on by an enthusiastic contingent of Brazilian fans, the 18-year-old from Rio de Janeiro kept it close in the first set.
But he paid a price for taking too many risks against a more physical and experienced opponent and Draper, a US Open semifinalist last year, strung together nine straight games to secure the win.
