INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Aryna Sabalenka held off Victoria Mboko, 7-6 (0), 6-4, in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open, keeping the top-ranked player in women’s tennis in the running for her first title at the Indian Wells.
Jannic Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev all advanced to the men’s semi-finals, with Medvedev benefiting from a disputed, overturned point late in his 6-1, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jack Draper.
Draper momentarily threw his arms to his side to signal he thought Medvedev’s deep forehand had landed long during a rally that ended several shots later when Medvedev’s backhand went into the net. Medvedev, already up one set, asked chair umpire Aurelie Tourte for a video review.
“We played two shots afterwards,” Draper protested calmly according to AP. “I get it if he missed the next ball, but he didn’t.”
Sinner powered past Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2 to book a semi-final showdown with fourth-ranked Zverev at Indian Wells.
Sinner is in the semi-finals at the prestigious ATP and WTA Masters 1000 for the third time, but he has never made it to the championship match.
The four-time Grand Slam champion was untroubled by 27th-ranked Tien, capitalising on a double fault from the 20-year-old American for a break in the second game and cruising from there.
Sinner broke Tien four times and saved all four break points he faced, including two in the final game as he closed out the match in 66 minutes.
Zverev reached the Indian Wells semi-finals for the first time with a similarly comfortable 6-2, 6-3 victory over France’s Arthur Fils.
Zverev became just the fifth player to reach the semi-finals of all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, an accomplishment he called “very special” as he joined a club featuring Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
He was in control throughout against Fils, who was coming off an impressive win over ninth-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Zverev broke the 21-year-old Frenchman to open the match and his break for a 4-1 lead on a Fils double fault prompted a racquet-mangling outburst from Fils.
Zverev broke again at 4-2 in the second as he cruised to the victory, saving all three break points he faced.
“I think I played quicker than the last couple of matches (against Fils). I think I took the time away and the ability for him to be extremely aggressive,” he said according to AFP.
