Indian Wells Tennis 2022: Alison Riske Advances as Men’s Qualifiers Conclude

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The 2022 BNP Paribas Open officially got underway on the women’s side, while the men’s field was set during Wednesday’s action.

Alison Riske and Kaia Kanepi were among the most notable unseeded names to move on during round-of-128 action in Indian Wells, California.

Riske played in the featured battle of Americans on the slate Wednesday, easily breezing by Caty McNally in a 6-0, 6-3 romp. McNally has struggled to recapture the performance level seen during her third-round run at the 2020 U.S. Open; she’s not gotten past the first round of a major since and looked overwhelmed by the veteran Riske.

The 31-year-old consistently came through in the clutch, holding off McNally on seven of eight break attempts while converting five of her 10 chances. Riske began the match with seven straight games and never looked back.

She will move on to play eighth-seeded Garbine Muguruza. 

Kanepi ruined 17-year-old Robin Montomery’s chances to make an impression at Indian Wells, earning a quick 6-3, 6-3 victory. Montgomery struggled with her serve throughout the match, winning just 18 service points total and relying on her return game to keep her head above water in the match.

Kanepi will meet No. 22 Belinda Bencic on Friday.

On the men’s side of the bracket, it was a day of crashing and burning for top qualifiers. Tennys Sandgren pulled off a 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 three-set thriller over top-ranked qualifier John Millman, while American Christopher Eubanks took down second-seeded qualifier Joao Sousa in straight sets.

Sandgren will take on Botic van de Zandschulp and Eubanks takes on fellow American Maxime Cressy in the opening round. 

Sousa will remain in the tournament after winning the lucky loser draw and taking the place of Novak Djokovic, who withdrew from the event.