Tsurenko withdraws frm Sabalenka tie at Indian Wells minutes before due to "personal reasons".

Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the fourth round after Lesia Tsurenko unexpectedly withdrew from their match at the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells shortly after it began.

Sabalenka had a straightforward start to the tournament, defeating Russian Yevgeniya Rodina and conceding only two games in the match. The match against Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko was expected to be more challenging due to Tsurenko's competitive rhythm, having qualified and eliminated the recent Monterrey Open champion Donna Vekic.

Although Tsurenko was warming up shortly before the match, the organizers announced that the match was canceled: "Lesia Tsurenko has withdrawn from tonight's match. Aryna Sabalenka advances to the final 16 via walkover," the organization announced. Fans who were expecting to see the Australian Open 2023 champion had to settle for the doubles match between Flipkens/Mattek-Sands and Kato/Sutjiadi, which was moved to Stadium 1. Sabalenka will now face Barbora Krejcikova, who has just eliminated China's Xiyu Wang.