Gauff does it tough while Sabalenka rolls

Aryna Sabalenka sprinted to an opening win at the Indian Wells Masters on Saturday while fellow seed Coco Gauff had to struggle past a stiff Asian challenge to end a mini losing streak.

Top seed Sabalenka swept American McCartney Kessler 7-6 (4), 6-3 in 93 minutes while Gauff took an hour longer to subdue Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4).

Third-seeded Gauff, a semi-finalist here a year ago, was weighed down by 21 double-faults among more than 70 unforced errors in the sloppy success.

“I’ve been in the (habit) of trying to fix things on my serve,” Gauff said. “It was just an up-and-down process. It’s tough out there.

“But, I mean, if I’m able to win matches playing kind of like (Grade) D tennis, then it gives me confidence just when I’m able to mesh things together, like I did earlier this season.”

The 2023 US Open winner will face a re-run of last year’s semi-final here when she plays in the third round against Maria Sakkari of Greece. who put out Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria 6-0, 6-3.

The Greek leads Gauff 5-3 after winning the 2024 semi.

Sabalenka, loser in three of her last four matches including the Australian Open final to Madison Keys, turned the tide on that losing run with her victory over 48th-ranked Kessler.

“It felt like a Grand Slam final — the atmosphere … it was so much fun,” Sabalenka said. “She’s playing incredible tennis, such a tough opponent. 

“Honestly, I was just trying to focus on myself, on staying aggressive, put as much pressure as I could on her.

“I’m really super-happy that I was able to manage all the emotions and get this tough win.”