"Really happy that I stayed in it" - Badosa after hard-fought win over Sorribes Tormo

World No.7 Paula Badosa endured an 82-minute marathon set to defeat Sara Sorribes Tormo and keep her BNP Paribas Open title defense alive.

Badosa is bidding to become the first woman to defend the Indian Wells title in over 30 years. The last woman to do so was Martina Navratilova, who won her two Indian Wells titles in 1990 and 1991. This was the sixth meeting between 7th-seeded Badosa and 32nd-seeded Sorribes Tormo, with Badosa holding a slim 3-2 lead going into Monday night's showdown.

She said:

"I knew I had to go a little bit more for it. Sometimes it's tough because I know Sara lives a lot with errors of the other [player]. I didn't want to make a lot. I knew it was very tactical. In that moment when you're a little bit at the limit, I knew I had to go maybe a little bit more for it, especially with my forehand. That's what I did in a few points. I think that's what gave me the first set."

Her next opponent will be Leylah Fernandez and on that match, Badosa said:

"Leylah, I mean, she's coming from winning a tournament. She's with lots of confidence. She's an amazing player. I was going to say she's the future because she is very young, but I think she is in the present already. I expect a very tough match."