Madison Keys and Coco Gauff keep American hopes alive at Indian Wells with impressive victories

American favourites Coco Gauff and Madison Keys continue to advance at Indian Wells after eliminating tough rivals such as Elise Mertens and two-time finalist Maria Sakkari. Both Americans have reached the fourth round and are awaiting their next opponents.

World No. 3 Gauff defeated two-time finalist Sakkari 7-6, 6-2, while the Greek player now faces a significant drop in the rankings, possibly close to No. 50. On the other hand, Keys overcame a resilient Mertens in a hard-fought match, extending her winning streak to 14 consecutive victories.

The match started with uncertainty on both sides, as they both broke each other’s serve at their first opportunity. Not only that, but they reached 2-2 without either player holding serve. Once both players found their rhythm, service games became easier, although Gauff always seemed to put more pressure on her opponent’s serve.

At 5-4, World No. 3 Gauff had a chance to claim the first set. Sakkari committed a double fault, giving Gauff a set point, but Sakkari saved it and leveled the score at 5-5. No one managed to break serve, and the set was decided in the tie-break. Gauff looked more confident in the exchanges, and Sakkari’s errors handed the American a set that could have gone either way.

Sakkari, who has been off her best form in recent months, showed why she’s reached two Indian Wells finals, as the conditions suited her style of play. In the second set, Sakkari fought back from a break down to level at 2-2 and revived her hopes. However, after that, Gauff put pressure on her, breaking twice in a row to go 5-2 ahead, with her own serve to follow. A final game with Gauff’s serve, which was balanced, ended with Gauff taking the win on her 6th match point, 7-6, 6-2. She will now face the winner of the match between Diana Shnaider and Belinda Bencic.

Mertens was undoubtedly a dangerous opponent for Keys, as the Belgian has been a consistent top-30 player for the last eight seasons. Mertens started well in the first part of the match but faltered at crucial points. The Belgian wasted six break points in her favour, while Keys capitalised on her second break point and took a 4-1 lead.

In the next game, Mertens wasted another three consecutive break points, and Keys, with confidence, seized her opportunity at the end of the set to secure a second break and win the set 6-2, a result that seemed more comfortable than the match had shown. Mertens' low first serve percentage (48%) was one of the factors Keys took advantage of in key moments.

In the second set, one of the most contested games saw Keys waste six break points, but on her 7th chance, she converted. Within minutes, she was 3-0 up. Keys kept her lead and served for the match at 5-4 but wasted two match points, and Mertens managed to level the score. They went to a tie-break, where Keys wasted another couple of match points, and Mertens won the set 7-6 [10-8].

In the third set, the American seemed to be in better form, more determined to secure the win. With the support of the home crowd, the recent Australian Open champion played some of her best tennis of the match. Despite Mertens’ resistance, Keys wrapped up the win 6-2, 6-7 [8], 6-4. A convincing performance that sends her to the fourth round, where she will face the winner between Emma Navarro.