2026 Indian Wells Day 2 Recap

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Welcome to many parts of your day in college for the biggest school lunch results in

college.

From the next world, it's Thursday, March 5, day 2 of your deed wells just about wrapped

up starting tonight's podcast at 10.9 pm Pacific Time Y, is that a relevant fact for

all of you tennis fans?

Well, it's because still out on court right now that Capriva lead two-time NCAA singles

champion, Michael Zang, 7652.

I am assuming Capriva is going to be able to close things out, and thus I feel comfortable

beginning tonight's recording.

It was a fantastic day two of action, a day two that, of course, saw the second half

of the opening round of singles play.

It sets up one of my favorite round twos.

I can remember in recent 1000 level event history, I know that sounds hyperbolic, but you've

got some barn burners for all of the seeds kicking off their action in round number two.

Certainly, if we're going to get the same sepicoorda we got tonight in his round two matchup

against Alex Dimanoher, that's a clear your schedule, sort of round two encounter, of

course, want to offer my thoughts on that court of victory.

Of course, I had a front row seat, the opportunity to broadcast his match tonight with Bradley

Clon for our friends at tennis channel.

Oh, by the way, also I had the chance to broadcast one of the best matches of the day,

men's or women's draw as Catarina Sinyak of a snaps a 17 match losing streak.

Now, what do I mean by that?

Well, in the last 17 matches that she had dropped the opening set, she ultimately went

on to drop the match.

That was not the case today.

And to see her overcome tonight's version of Sophia Cannon, a cannon who looked a lot

like her 2020 Australian open winning self in set number one was a heck of a performance

from the 29 year old from Czechia and thus again, want to offer my thoughts on her victory,

want to offer my thoughts on all the opening round victories we saw across the men's women's

singles events here on day number two.

For those of you curious and again, so grateful to so many of you who have been kind enough

to reach out and offer support for my efforts this week, broadcasting for tennis channel

that TC app.

For those curious, I have the coolest opportunity tomorrow.

I get to call Coco Gough.

I get to call Yannick Sinner on stadium one court.

You can listen to my coverage over on the tennis channel app.

I'm immensely grateful to the team at tennis channel for the opportunity.

I'm immensely grateful to all of you listeners who tune in without whom, of course, I would

not have this opportunity, yeah, going to be a fun weekend, going to be a fun stretch

here as certainly I always enjoy my four rays across the country here in the month of

March.

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All right.

Let's break down day two of this 2026 Indian Wells events.

Let's start with our women's singles action.

Of course, it was that bottom half of the draw in play today.

You could argue the most impressive performance was, again, the victory I had the opportunity

to call Caterina Sinyaka, one six, six four, six one, knocks off Sofia Kennan.

You had three different chapters within this match.

Chapter one was all about Sofia Kennan, a Sofia Kennan, who by the way,

led six, one, four, three, set in a break in this match.

Obviously, it goes on to lose what nine of the final 10 games in this one.

There's the first chapter that saw her race out to a four love lead play with the sort

of pinpoint accuracy, the diversity and shot selection, the firepower that just is

a reminder of the talent that Kennan possesses, that shot making.

She's been capable of that since she was 12, 13 years old, one of the best American

juniors of the 2010s.

I mean, she's a fucking slam champion.

I think that speaks to her talent and just to see her getting outside the ball, the shape

of when she pulls a ball cross-court, that ball is moving left to right, right to left,

outside and into the alley, stretching into the outer thirds, and she's mixing in the

drop shot.

I can't remember the last time I saw her return as well, as she did through the first

set of this match.

Kennan was dominant.

She was picking on the Catarina Sinyakava forehand, punishing any slice that sat in the

cord, punishing every serve that just kept going into her body.

It was the best version of Sokvia Kennan.

I know she's had her moments, right?

The run of the Charleston final last year, Tokyo, I'd say my finals, I think at the end

of the year, Tokyo final, end of the year, the year before that, her run in Mexico, the

in 2023, like she has her pockets of success, right?

Sokvia Kennan, Sophia, excuse me, has those weeks, this felt like it was going to be one

of those days that maybe leads to one of those weeks, and given she would have had

what a second round matchup against Leila Fernandez, certainly I think that's an advantageous

draw relative to what it might otherwise be, legitimately, legitimately was starting

to forecast, okay, like, whoa, what is this mean for the tournament moving forward?

And then it's a credit to Katarina Sinyakava, who started hitting through the backhand

much more definitively throughout set number two, even as she went down a break, split

bad service game three, four, but again got that break back, Kennan played the worst service

game of the match, and this has been the story of Kennan's last half-decade, as you have

10 minutes of brilliance followed by these three unforgivable minutes that may ultimately

compromise her within the match, that final service game serving four, five, Kennan

goes back to back double faults to start the game, missed two plus one balls, and ultimately

a third double fault on the set point to see the set to Katarina Sinyakava, now she

fought off a couple of set points in between there, but five unforgivers to gift that second

set away, after again she was up a set and four three, a set and a break, just never

found any sort of footing in set number three, as Sinyakava got more and more comfortable

hitting through the backhand, hit through her forehand, not just playing the slice when

she was pushed into corners, playing the backhand line, oh god when she drives through,

getting better reads on the Kennan serve, Sinyakava found her rhythm, and Kennan just started

producing error after error, and again that four or five service game was just a nightmare,

the nightmare that kind of epitomizes again the vicious swings that have lived within

this last half decade of the Kennan story, it's probably the most fascinating career

of the 2020s, and we've had a lot of fascinating careers, like again if we didn't have to live

in the day to day cycle, and I should do this more on the great chef podcast, but I'm

not traveling, perhaps we will do this more, like we don't talk about the Ashley Barney

career enough, the ending to Simona Halips career, like that's its own hour long podcast,

or being Mugaroza ending her career early, to each their own do what you want, like when

you've lost the drive, you've lost the drive, but like all things Cretchicova, her injuries

and sprinkled in between slams at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Von Thrucava, her story,

like obviously I haven't mentioned the big one, and Marana Kanu, there are so many different

fascinating subplots of these 2020s, obviously we're on the right end of the Reba of the

Nisimova story, we're on the right end of the Reba in a story, two fascinating careers,

let's not lose sight of the Sofia Kanut story.

She's under 500 since the start of the 2021 season, again 2020, she's in her early 20s,

she wins a slam title in Melbourne, post pandemic she comes back and makes the slam final in

Roland Garros, and is under 500, and about 200 batches she's played since the start of

the 2021 season, yes, injuries have played a factor, but there's just more to the story

that needs to be told, because there's still pockets of brilliance, like the shot when

the shot making is in form, it's just like, oh, wow, you really can do all of the things.

It's again, hopefully someday she will share that story candidly with all of us, because

boy, what I love to pick, Sonya Kanut's brain, and just figure out what's gone on.

Now again, great win for the 29-year-old Catarina Sinyakova, she was three in six on the

year entering the match, by the way, seven straight losses for Ken, since she won her first

match of the season, for Sinyakova again, she had lost 17 consecutive matches where she

had dropped the opening set, nice to get a three-set come from behind win to boost the confidence,

okay, I can still do that, I'm never out of these battles, and it's a very winable match

for her, even if she has struggled with Leyla Fernandez on hard courts throughout the

course of their career.

But NTN Wells ain't your standard hard court, it's playing a little faster, but again,

once those windy conditions pick up especially at night, yeah, things slow down real quick.

That for me was the win of the day, of course, I had the chance to be on the call for that,

one had the chance to be on the call for the final set of what was Dion Perry's 636761 win

over Venus, the win was brutal, and there were times for both of these players where the

steps were just off, and some of the swings were ugly.

Perry was just crisper, in set number three, played the big targets in the outer third

got Venus on the stretch, no, Venus had her chances, break point chance, over cooks in

inside out forehand to get the early break for 2-1 in the third root, when that opportunity

slipped away, everything sort of slipped from there, again, just didn't have it down the

home stretch, so Perry, the three set win knocks out the great champion, Venus Williams,

win of the day on the women's side, wild card, Donna Vecch, 6 and 6, over Teresa Valentova,

it's her biggest victory of the season, it's her biggest victory in quite some time,

Donna Vecch, right now sitting at 118 in the world, she needed, needed to have that victory,

now isn't handed any sort of gift after the win, now she's got 5th seeded Jessica Pagula,

but that's a massive victory, tough loss for the teenager, Valentova, but great to see

Vecch get through, in a moment again against the big swing, Valentova took her swings,

Vecch was really good down the line down the home stretch, Vecch moved really well in

that match, my most impressive performance of the day, throw Hayley Baptiste on that list

as well, Baptiste grinding her way through 2-6-6-2-6-3 over Emiliana Arango, again, Arango

is a backboard, she's going to ask the most of you, Baptiste found the right balance between

aggression and consistency knowing, okay if I buy my time, my opportunity will come,

3-set victory for Hayley Baptiste, good win, set up a brutal match up though, of course

for Baptiste, has next up a date with 3rd seeded Elena Rabakina, shout out Ashlyn Kruger,

again, finally got some momentum going in Austin, see how it helps 1-4 Vecchery for her

over Magdalena, Antonio Ruzic, keeping the good times rolling, 3-set win for her over

Gen Brady, I mean Taylor Townsend, keeps it rolling, the Austin finalists qualifying into

the main draw, then 2-1 over Bogecova, that's hell of a win, fascinating match up, coming

up between her and Marta Kostjuk, round 2, oh, and then let's not forget the most important,

Lily Tagger, 6-2, 6-4, Knox Outgrauch of a blockbuster match up between her and Maria

Sockery in round number 2, Bukesha for an over vid, Benova, I just didn't want to hurt

my own feelings, some really fun round 2 matches set up on the women's side,

yeah, you had some 3-set battle, 3 sets over Marc Chinko, again, Ruzic, 3 sets over

Gen Brady, nice to see Gen in that fight even if you could tell, again, that lack of match

callousness hurting her down the home stretch, but boy, we've got some awesome day 2 blockbusters,

round 2 block, excuse me, we've got some round 2 blockbusters now set up on the women's

side, things may even be more exceptional on the men's, and I think it's more acceptable,

well, again, it's because on the women's side, we know who the best players in the world

are, and yeah, we're going to get to see them hopefully round 4, quarters, et cetera,

do battle, on the men's side, it's the parody 4 through 36, and it's like, okay, we'll

finally get to see you all do battle, let's try and figure out this pecking order here

in round number 2, and how is that set up? Well, it's on the back of some really fun,

again, really fun, day 2 singles results on the men's side, again, for me, it starts

with Sebi Korda, there were four breaks in the opening service game between, in the

opening four service games between he and Francisco Komasagna, ultimately though, once

Korda found his footing on the serve, everything else followed, a clinic of plus one tennis

is forehand, blitzing through the cord inside out, Korda was awesome, and the 756 love victory

of Komasagna just so thoroughly, overwhelmed the 25-year-old Argentine, as by the way, of

course, he should on this surface, moved well, again, the first serve was all, he did not

land a first serve in his opening service game, got broken, he landed just two first serves

and his first two service games combined, got broken in each of them, he handed one more

break away in the opening set, there were seven total breaks, but again, he finds the

late break, he finds the separation, and then the clean sheet, the rest of the way, it was

a clinic of first strike tennis, and he played Komasagna evenly in the long points as well,

he's heating up, there's just no doubt, sebi Korda is starting to heat up, finals of

that San Diego challenge are obviously loses to fight up, but just to play five matches

in a week, remind yourself, okay, I can do this, Korda finals Dallas, three sets, seven

six in the third loss to Fritz, then of course, beats rude, caboli, and Paul, on his way

to that Del Rey title, sebi Korda is heating up, chance for another blockbuster victory,

as of course, he takes on Alex Dimonauer in round two, and by the way, I posited this

theory on the broadcast to Bradley Clon, it's not going to be a new one, an unfamiliar

one to mini break podcast listeners, is the best version of Sebastian Korda, when he

plays his absolute best tennis, does he have the most traits of any of the American men

right now in the field? Like the most complete, like does he look the part best in terms

of the smoothness, the compact deliveries off of both wings, the size of the first serve,

the physicality he can bring. You know, again, who has the highest upside? For me, that

question's an obvious one, you just go with Ben, you have his serve, and all the other

foundational pieces, his competitive instincts as well, like give me Ben, God, what is he

going to look like at 27, I cannot wait to find out, but boy, like there's a smoothness

to sebi Korda, every time I see it, it's the backhand, how again, it's just like, it

just should work, it just should work, I know Komasani on a hard court, that's not a litmus

test for elite play, I don't care, it should fucking work, like it's just, I'm not selling

my sebi Korda stock, you can't make me not ever, he's still just 25, I'm not going

to do it, not going to do it, folks. Yes, sebi was awesome today, in a straight set victory

over Komasani, particularly that set number two, he was not your performer of the day though,

you got to give it to the fat Greek or Dimitrov grinds his way through the big swing and

lefty Terrence Atman, 6'4", 5'7", 6'4", a couple good wins, a lot of good wins on the

side, you know, Borges, 6'5", in a war, with Emilio Navi, how about Alexander Kovasovich?

I think he lost something like 12 in a row, something crazy at the 1000s, 6'6", he knocks

off who be Hurkonts, that's a heck of a victory, Jake Furnley gets one, he had to have three

and three over, zoom her, Baez, Baez is again, let's not forget, sebi Baez has looked

like one of the 20 best players in the world through this first two months of the season,

yeah, he should overwhelm Jason Sank, who doesn't have a massive weapon to hurt him with,

three and two though, looked the part today, a Mackie, Owen, one over our onalty, damn,

one man well, Sarandolo, 6'3", in the third over Vandesenschkulp, good victories on the

man side again, a lot of fun ones, it's the barn burners, the barn burners of round two matches,

Alcharez vs Dimitrov, that's round number two, Corda vs Dimonauer, that's round number two,

La Hachka vs Baez, round number two, Mikkelsen Umbair's really good, round number two, if you forget

everything we've seen through the first month of this two months of the season, Rubelev Diallo is

really good, I haven't probably even mentioned the best two yet, Brooks B of course, taking on Francis

Tiafah, it's a must for Americans, by the way, Slash, Shelton Opelka, great match on paper,

I don't know how long the points are, if we're going to be between those two men,

so I don't know how aesthetically pleasing that matchup will be, but sure on paper it's great,

and then oh by the way, it's Ferev vs Baratini, like there are others I left out, Fonseca Hachanov,

I forgot about that one, Geron Menchik's really fun as well, oh, there are some good matches on

the board, and we need them, we need them, because again, every week, and I know I didn't have much

movement in my ATP top 10, pretty sunshine swing, compared to where we were at the end of January,

it's because we didn't get enough top seed data points, or even like all guys in the mix,

and we're probably still around before the, we were in the guys in the mixed territory,

but Dimitra wants to be a guy in the mix against Alcharez, let's find out how real

cordo's guy in the mix status is against Alcharez, Fonseca vs Hachanov, go win that match Fonseca,

I think Riley's playing the best ball of his career, can he get a signature win over Ben?

I got to call Baratini, if we get the set two, set three version of Mateo, he is going to push

a Sasha's Vera, of course, he beat in Monte Carlo last year, yeah, these matches are really good,

across the board, I'm very happy with how our opening round played up, filled with anticipation

for what we will see unfold in round number two. Again, top performers on the day will go Dimitra

one, because it's a really good, no, we're not going to go Dimitra one, we'll go,

who's your win of the day? I guess Dimitra is the win of the day, he'll be won by as impressed

me most, and then Kovah is going to get the three spots, six and six, that's another first match

exit for Herkats, it's also five in a row, again, Quinn, Dom, Bublick, Menshik, Kavasavich,

across those matches he's played two, four, five, seven different tie breaks, who we Herkats

is holding serve 92.6% of the time this year, he's five and six overall, it's because he's

breaking only seven point five percent of the time, that's crazy, what a split, that's,

that's him trying to find his sea legs, it's went on script when he can land first serves,

still looks really good, it's the rest of the game, 29 years old, trying to reactimate two,

again, that's where things stand coming out of the opening round of singles playing your

men's and women's singles draw now again as we look towards day number three, there are some delicious

matchups on the board, certainly obviously they're the high profile players right, and I get

to the chance to call two of them, by the way, worth note it, Michael's saying this is my fault,

never doubt a two time NCAA singles champion, that's on me, that's our guy too, hope someone plays

them this when he comes back in wins in, five six back on serve with Capriva in that second set,

still as you look towards day three, I mean what's the best match on the calendar,

the all-american battles, second and third on stadium two, Shelton versus Opelka, big serving,

behemoths going at it, I'm telling you, for highly plays like he did against DQ, if he plays like

he has all season block, at least playing top 50 ball again, it's not just serves either,

guy can scoot, tough test for Ben in what we broke down, yes, it's just a brutal quarter,

four Ben Shelton, Brooks B. Tiafo, it's just two people who like to do it a little different

rematch, by the way, the Houston final last year, Brooks B. Tiafo, right, so a little extra

Hutzpah, perhaps in that one, I mean Felix versus Mold Fees, he's really good as well, there's

Garon versus Menchick, Fees versus Prismich for us, Slappies of course, we love it, by the way,

those are just the men's matches, the women's side tomorrow, what are the ones you stop and book your

schedule around, I think the lefty him and his cast in save of the recent top 100 deputy taught,

we just haven't seen Naomi Osaka in a little bit, him and his cast in save of his match tough,

that could absolutely be upset territory for Osaka, I mean the best tennis has happened on

stadium three for the women the two night matches, Yovic versus Sorio, Eva Yovic just must watch,

has looked like one of the 20 best players in the world and is still just again a teenager,

now she's back in her home state, taken on a Kamiya Sorio who's playing better ball,

and what is for me, one of my break or break all stars, love that one,

Yala versus Yostremska is just going to be electric, best quality tennis, Schneider versus

Kersteya, second on stadium four, Serona Kersteya, what was the number I said yesterday, it's like

32 and 10, something crazy since the start of that Cleveland run, that's really

really good tennis across the board on the men's, women's side, so we'll be locked in,

as round two action begins on day number three, of course again I will be on the call for the

matches on stadium third on fourth seeded Coco Gough, taking on Kamiya Raikimova, of course you've

got Yanaxinna, taking on Dela Boer, server Kina to kick off the night section after that,

I'm going to be better pronouncing his name by tomorrow, that I promise all of you tennis fans,

I also promise we'll be back to update you on all of it as it continues to unfold, of course

the reason we can do that day and day out because of the support we get from all of you crack

brackets, fans immensely grateful for it, of course immensely grateful for the support I get

day and day out from our dear super producer Daniel Westoff, best in the business at what he does,

shout out to him, shout out of course as well, the support we get from our front of the little