The Spanish Paula Badosa fell this Monday 6-3 and 7-5 against the Kazakh Elena Rybakinanumber ten in the world ranking, and said goodbye to the Indian Wells tournament, of which she was champion in 2021, in the second round.
Badosa, number 22 in the world, was a break up in the second set and He had options to overcome the game, but succumbed against a Rybakina, Wimbledon champion in 2022, who shielded her pass to the round of 16 in one hour and 35 minutes. It was also a difficult match on a mental level for both players, two friends who also compete together in doubles. Just 24 hours after meeting they had lost their match against the Belgian Elise Mertens and the Australian Storm Hunter.
Badosa, who was champion in Indian Wells in 2021, reached the second round in the Californian desert after eliminating her compatriot Nuria Párrizas last Saturday with a good performance. Badosa has won all three of their previous meetings, including the Billie Jean King Cup, but Rybakina was solid with her serve and knocked her out of a tournament in which she was a semifinalist last year.
The Kazakh took the lead in the first set with a break in the seventh game, after Badosa annulled three ‘break’ balls in the fifth, and sentenced the set 6-3 with a new break in the ninth game. Badosa reacted with pride and broke Rybakina’s serve for the first time to escape 4-2. He had another break point to put the set downhill, but he forgave her and his match got complicated again. Rybakina recovered the break and annulled two other break balls with 5-5 on the scoreboard to open the way to the final 7-5
In the round of 16, the Kazakh will face the winner of the match between the Russians Varvara Gracheva and Daria Kasatkina.