Indian Wells Day 3 Recap

Our Cracked Rackets team is proud to partner with our friends at the Laurel Springs School.

Imagine a school day that doesn't start with the ringing of a bell, but instead the rhythmic

bounces of a tennis ball and the crisp pop of a perfect serve.

That's the sort of opportunity offered by the Laurel Springs School.

Laurel Springs, they understand how difficult it can be for any aspiring athlete to balance

their daily training.

We can travel competitions and their academics.

That is why they offer a 100% flexible online private education that molds to fit any and

every athlete's lifestyle and aspirations.

Enrolling at Laurel Springs means every new sunrise is a chance for your child to thrive

both academically and on the court by enrolling at Laurel Springs.

You're not only empowering your child with a premium, personalized education, you're

also enabling them to thrive.

In both their academic and athletic pursuits, start the school year off right and visit

Laurel Springs.com today.

To learn more, you can join them for an upcoming virtual open house and learn more about

every program, every resource they offer, again, go to LaurelSprings.com to start your

school year off right, Laurel Springs, a proud partner of crack-gracks.

The performance is the things that stood out on, of course, a busy Friday on the grounds

of Indian Wells.

Of course, the reason we can do that day and day out here on this podcast is because of

the support we get from all of you tennis fans if you're looking for even more exciting

action happening across the tennis universe this weekend.

Make sure you check out our coverage of everything going down at the collegiate level.

Another fantastic weekend of SEC, ACC, big 12 play.

Those are where the best teams in the country reside.

Of course, we get to cover each and every weekend of those regular seasons over on ESPN

plus.

So if you haven't, go check out the coverage.

They shout out to Westoff, they shout out to Chris Halliors, the broader extended crack

rackets team for steering the ship.

Well, of course, I am away in Los Angeles this weekend calling Indian Wells matches by

the way.

Again, what a privilege it is to have the opportunity to be on the call for our friends on

tennis channel.

You could hear my coverage over on the TC app.

Very grateful for the kind words.

Always appreciate the constructive criticism from some of you as well.

Always looking for ways I can get better.

So appreciate your support.

Yesterday, I had a fascinating schedule of matches to broadcast.

I got to call the funkiest of second sets for Coco Gough as she overcame that five to

deficit to knock off Camila Raca Mova in straights.

I got to call the demolition that was Yannick Sinner's round two victory over dialogues

for China and look while the score line wasn't particularly compelling.

If you can't appreciate the point in point out excellence, Yannick Sinner brings each and

every match that he plays now, you really shouldn't be in a position like mine.

So certainly to get to watch the world number two at his best, yeah, that was a privilege

and then boy, I got to call the wrong end of the match.

But I certainly got to call the most fascinating part of the match in what was of course Amanda

Nisimova's three set victory to kick off her Indian Wells campaign over on a blink of

a five, seven, six, one, six love.

Yeah, first set was ugly and it was impressive to see the American rally as she did so thoroughly

in sets two and three of this battle.

So I want to reflect, of course, upon each of those experiences today, but then of course

more broadly.

I want to break down the storylines we saw unfold in our first half of round two singles

play.

Let's get into it.

Let's start on the women's single side of things where again, ultimately overall on

the day, you did have five seeds eliminated in their opening match of the event.

Now how consequential were any of those seeds to the broader championship discussion?

I suppose here in the front half of the sunshine swing, not particularly so, I mean certainly

look.

I as much as anyone else have fallen in love with the game of the 18th seed, the American

teenager, Eva Yovic, certainly, I mean Eva Yovic had match points in set number two last

night in what was ultimately a four, six, seven, six, six, three defeat at the hands of

Kamiya Sorio.

It's a tough one for Yovic.

It's been tough back to back stretch here.

I mean, look, she played one event in the Middle East in February.

Beach Schneider on her way to the Dubai round of 16 again for any 18 year old.

Pretty sound result.

Beat Blink of Anastin before the three set lost at Tamiya Navitch, again, had match points

today against Kamiya Sorio before ultimately being knocked out in the third set.

Look, these are perfect conditions for Kamiya Sorio, these slow, high bouncing, especially

that they were a night match and there really is a difference probably, I mean, five miles

per hour might be hyperbolic, it might not be like things legitimately slow down that

much in that desert air at night as things get cooler.

It's just that much more difficult for this ball to rip through these courts and look,

Eva Yovic is certainly more a long drive centric player than hitting high and heavy topspin

and you know, more wants to like a blunt object hit through you as opposed to crafting

her way around you and I mean, she can still work you side to side, of course, so discipline

so consistent.

Look, I'm not going to criticize Eva Yovic, she had fucking match point like multiple.

She was right there in this one, I actually thought she did a really good job of moving

a Sorio corner to corner.

I thought four hand to four hand Yovic won those exchanges, but Sorio just had more tricks,

more tools available to her, a more diverse arsenal of shots certainly and to see her

throw the slice, to see her throw the drop shot, Sorio has no problem going high and

heavy and then smack in the backhand line right by you.

It's been a really good start to Kamiosorio's 2020-60s and keep in mind, this is a Kamiosorio,

I had as a make-up break all-star, someone who had been floating around 500, someone

who really had it made a push into the top 50 nor consolidated that push within her early

20s.

You were, you know, again, this is someone who broke through so quickly to the scene

and again, this springy quick first step, the broad skill set as well, the twitchiness,

that's the word whatever, I think of Kamiosorio, it's just everything she does has a little

extra oomph to it, it's not overwhelmingly powerful, but there's just a little extra

sauce on every ground stroke.

Great to see the 24-year-old after a slow start to her season goes down to Australia,

down under round one losses to Marcinco, Radikanu and Lee, two of those losses by the

way, three set losses, so what did she do?

She wouldn't play the 125k in Manila, beat Iayla, Sierra, Vakitch on her way to the title.

Then qualifies in Doha, wins a couple of main draw matches there, beats Radikanu, a little

revenge for her beat Sinyakava, that's a good win, you know, again, even to beat Cedar

Janice Chen in Marita, that's a good win before she was forced to retire against Katie

Bolter.

Now, wins over Sloan Stevens, Eva Yovic, to get to the round of 32 here at Indy and

Wells, you look for Kamiosorio, slowly but surely, back up to 57, she was in jeopardy

of falling outside of the top of 100, had she not had that 125k result.

She ain't in jeopardy anymore, and look, I assume we'll see her in Bogota, because that's

always been such an exceptional event for her on-home soil, but she can go play the European

play, right?

Certainly going to get into Madrid and Rome will see her there.

I wonder what she does, Stuttgart versus, I mean, there's no way we don't see her in

Bogota.

There's no way, but that's a really good win in what has been a really sound start.

Like we should have seen it coming for Kamiosorio, given the conditions, the slow and high

and heavy nature, the grittiness of these courts.

Tough one for Asorio.

I mean, again, she had match points, so 0 for 5, by the way, in the break points that

Yovic faced in the match, excuse me, tough one for Yovic, she's still 14 and 6 to start

this season.

Yeah, the last two losses, Asorio, Tamiya, on of its each and three sets, a little concerning

given that she was in winning positions within each of them, up a set within each of them.

That'll happen to an 18-year-old, like I'm not selling any Yovic stock.

I don't think you should either, I would say that was the most impactful upset of the

opening round.

Oh, I mean, the Catering Alexander, who's line-drive tennis will never thrive in these slow, high

bouncing conditions of Indian Wells.

She gets knocked out round number one, a match number one as well.

I suppose that one's pretty, that's the biggest upset on the day, as she gets knocked

up by the qualifier, Taliya Gibson, a massive victory, of course, for the 21-year-old Olazi,

Gibson, who, since the Australian open, had been playing a ton of 75k ITF level tennis.

She goes and wins the 75k in Brisbane, semi-finals, then won the next week, quarter finals,

Andrew Cain, Bangalorew, don't look now, but with the victory, Taliya Gibson.

As of this moment, welcome to the top 100, up to number 97 for the 21-year-old, that

would be a career high.

There's some spring, by the way, heck of a tournament here, who she beat in so far.

Brangle, Caliava, and Lee, and Alexandra Opa, damn, that's really well done, really, really

well done.

She's won now 14 of her last 16 matches, damn, wait, that can't be right, hold on, that

was bad math.

5 plus 3 is 8, plus 2 is 10, plus 4 is 14.

No, she's won 14 of her last 16 matches, the only loss is a 3-set loss to Emmercine Jones,

a straight set loss to Paulina Eichanko, shout out Emmercine Jones, went over to top 100

player, transitive properties, they're always valuable in tennis.

Emmercine's got some spring, and I don't know, again, you know me, I'm glass-heffel, I'm

a rosy sort of guy, I'm always trying to look for the best version of a player, especially

if that age next to their name is 21 or under.

Do I see top 15 for Taliya Gibson?

No, I don't know if it's dynamic enough to get their Taliya Gibson, it's going to have

a good career.

She's going to be around for a while, that's, that was, it's been a really impressive

run for her again, Gibson straight sets over E-Cat, look for E-Cat.

Abu Dhabi final is salvaging what has otherwise been a very rough start to her 20-26 season,

now 4-7 overall on a year.

It's not that it's just 4-7, two the losses are two, Sanvez, Gibson, Lynette, even Kristian,

like Asta Panko match that she lost in Doha, in straights.

It's been tough for her to start this season, the big thing again, the Line Drive Tennis,

it's just, it's one of those rougher streaks for her, the first serve hasn't been particularly

sharp for E-Cat either, I mean, look what made last season was so impressive was again,

it was her age 30 season and she was playing the best tennis of her career, the, the short

list of people for whom that happens, it's like Jessica Pagula and, in the modern

era, Jessica Pagula, end of list, still, like, there have always been streaks to the

E-Cat, E-Cat rhythm, that was a tough loss, now again these conditions have never been

the best for Academy Nile, Xandropa, great win for Gibson, welcome to the top 100 of

the live rankings for now, but certainly by seed, by ranking, that was your biggest

upset of the day, again, you had three other seeds knocked out, Serana Cristea, two in

six, over Diana Schneider, such a brutal draw for Schneider, but of course it is worth noting

now, Serana Cristea, since returning to the, to the tour, we'll go with Iassi as her

first event, just because it makes the numbers sound a little better, she's 36 and 12, so

when 75% of her matches for six months now, what are we talking about, like again, 75%

of her matches for six months now, you look for her during this stretch, three in six

against top 20 opponents, but this year wins over Nazcava, win over Schneider, she's going

to face Nazcava by the way, who she beat in Dubai again, here round three in Indian Wells.

Look at me again, she lost round two, Australian open, but it was three sets to Osaka, she lost

round two to Mughva, but it was three sets at the US open.

I don't know what more you want to ask for Serana Cristea, and again, right now she said

this is going to be her final lap around the tour, 35 years old, playing some of the best

ball of her career, moving so extraordinarily well, it's really nice line drive tennis,

it's in the Mugharooza model, for me that's always been the comp for her stay, I just

Kirkland brand in the best way, Mugharooza, where it's just a little less explosive, a

little less dynamic athletically, but still a lot to like, again brutal, brutal draw for

a Diana Schneider, who I thought was playing really good ball to start the month of January,

it's been a little slower since, but it's just a brutal draw, by the way speaking of January

all stars, Wong Shinu, looked like one of the 15 best players in the world in January,

knocked out three in one by Eilatami on pitch, that's a great win for the Aussie vet, can't

be losing that one, if you're Wong Shinu, of course the last one, Maya joined, grabbed

a six love first set, love six, six two, seven five the Aussie, knocked out by Jacqueline

Kristian, again Jacqueline Kristian who made her top 50 debut last season, it's just getting

better and better for Kristian, and there's just pop to all the things she does again, another

one of those twitchy players, good wins for her, by the way three sets each from a set

down over Janice Chen, Maya joined respectively, just to reach round three here at Indian Wells,

you look for her, she was already flirting with her career highs, she was 35 coming into

this, in reaching round three, Jacqueline Kristian actually holding sperm, at that number 35 spot,

spin surpassed by Serrana Kristian, who's now leapfrogged her for the number 34 spot in

the live rankings, God I always forget Serrana Kristian, 35, is she the oldest player inside

the top 100, good question, no she's not, she's the oldest player inside the top 50 right

now of the live ranking, Sigamin 38, Maria 38, Jungshui 37, Maria meaning Tatiana Maria,

Jungshui 37, Serrana Kristian 35, that's your list of 35 enough players right now inside

the top 100, still again top one for Maya joined by the way, who's a tough start to her

2026 season, when is she now technically two in eight overall and she's lost six in a row,

five straight round one matches, although tough draws again, her last six losses, Andriva

tough, Valentova, okay that's when she'd want back, Chen three sets that's when she'd

want back, Nosc of a tough Schneider tough, Kristian three sets certainly when she would

want back, look it's a little rough patch for the 19 year old, not selling any of the

Maya joined stock again, I don't know how high her ceiling has ever been, I just know

the floor, Maya joined is relentless and she will keep playing week after week in pursuit

of sustaining her spot right now in the upper echelon of the women's sport, it's a great

win though, for Jacqueline Kristian and wraps up our upsets on day number three on the

women's side, of course, you had plenty of top seeds, not get upset by the way overall

on the day, including big victory, for Jasmine Poundleini was down a set to Anapadi

and Astazi excuse me, Potapova grinds her way through six seven six two six three, could

that have potentially been a catalyst for Potapova, who we've seen have big sunshine swings

in the past that one, hurts for the bank of break all star, but a massive victory for

Poundleini, she tries the right to shift for her 2026 season, if that wasn't your best

win of the day, it was the night cap, Alexiola surviving in the face of just the relentless

firepower of Diana Yostromska, Iola, 754675 wins the night match, of course, because

it was Iola, you had fans sticking around a really fun environment for a match that

laid into the evening, the lefties just got pop, she's got spring, she's got a relentless

ness to how she competes in a proactiveness in that competitive spirit as well. Again,

there is a twitchiness, a springiness that I think can absolutely get her in that top

12, top 10 range, bottom half of maybe a tour finals qualification. I don't know if she

has enough pop to threaten the number ones, just given how good the number ones are going

to be for the next 10 years, but Alexiola has more upside to continue to tap it, she's

going to be really good for a really long time. Of course, again, as are the young Americans

who had some success on the day, I mean, Anismo was still young, 24 years old, she was

horrible in set number one, and I think she would probably be the first to admit, like

she had no business getting to 75, she was down 52, broke hold broke for 5 all, gets

broken for 5, 6 again, and then blink of a finally able to serve things out. Anismo

of a 25 unforesares, I believe in the opening sets, 17 of them off the forehand wing, she

missed 14 forehands in the first 5 games, it was awful, like it just, it was missing

long, it was missing long, it was missing long, and wide, she just didn't have a range

on the forehand, and accordingly, again, even if she was landing first serves, it didn't

matter, you just can't give them any free points away now again, like finding Nemo, what

is Amanda and Anismo have to do, she just has to keep swimming, just keep swimming, just

keep swimming, that's what she did, just kept swinging accordingly, and look her firepower

was always too much for a blink of a who looked sound, but blink of a who was having her own

issues with errors, again, she was just happened to be the beneficiary of you missed before

I did, more so than I thought her employing anything particularly tactically brilliant

to provide the advantage, now that's not meant to disrespect the performance of blink,

but you gotta go out and win that set she does, but the match was always on Anismo of

his racket, and once she started making forehands given herself some margin, I was a little

concerned that these chords might be too slow for her, and that was a byproduct, and again

her forced to overextend things now, it was just the rhythm was just off, honestly the

tension might have been off as well, it's just given the totality of errors, a mental

note to make equipped and wise, but then she cruised, 5, 7, 6, 1, 6 love, the other American

of course, Coco Gough, 3 and 6 win, over Kamilara Rakimova, Rakimova was up 5, 2, she

too served for the set, 3 different times, 5, 2, 5, 4, 6, 5, Gough finding, 3 different

breaks on those occasions that loan hold to get to 4, 5 as well, was sound enough in the

tie breaks, but this was another sloppy match, each of them were producing errors, and

the forehand for Gough just was not going past the short line, the service line it was

sitting up, sitting short, I think she hit, if she didn't hit the double fault threshold,

she had a minimum had 9 of them, yesterday like it was just another so many free points

offered in the, you know, again you get this break back, you have all this momentum in

set number 2, and then just let me throw you two more double faults to Sedia, a love

30 spot, and yet I said this on the broadcast, I'll say it again here, the goal of tennis

isn't to make it look pretty, I mean it's fun when it looks pretty, more fun for all of

us certainly, but this is what, and it's a lesson I'm forever grateful for to my first

coach still close to my life, and if I'm going to get a tattoo someday it'll be of his

phone number because it's burned in my brain, you know again a Joe Brennan is a Joe Brennan,

excuse me, would always be clear to say Alex, shout out to Joe, the goal isn't to be prettier,

the goal is to be one shot better, the goal is to win, like you're here to win, and sometimes

to win you just have to make one more ball than your opponent, or you just have to be one

shot better, every rally, and Coco Gough was one shot better, if it was making that extra

forehand till the rackemova era came fine, if it was a backhand cross-court thunderous approach

that would work as well, getting forward, covering the rackemova drop shot, she's a beneficiary,

in the tie-break rackemova missed two inside out forehand, spy about a collective one and a half

inches, and honest to God if she makes either of them we might be playing a third set still.

Winning Ugly is a skill within itself, and Coco Gough by necessity almost has gotten

really good at that, and that just speaks to again, an ability to buy herself time within events,

okay I'm not playing my best yet, but if I find that best, look out, rest of the field,

Winning Ugly, Coco Gough through, in straight sets, I mean the other highlights,

Saboleka, Cruz, Osaka, look really good, in a straight set win in Boko, winner,

Callin' Skyo, winner, and by the way in Boko Callin' Skyo, round three, one of my favorite,

round three match-ups, Roda kind of a good day, Nazcava 3 and 3 writing the ship,

Tossin' 6 and 2 over Yulia Puptensiva, again that's another big one as Tossin' tries to put

together a signature run her first of 2026, yeah it was a fun day, on the women's side of Indian

Wells again, not the noisiest day from a seeds being upset perspective, but again you look at

some of these blockbusters in Boko vs Callin' Skyo, Anisimova vs Roda Kanu, oh by the way Gough,

Iayla, part two hell, given her level, Kirste and Nazcava's a really good match-up as well,

it's awesome, on the women's side looking forward to watching that action continue to unfold,

of course, on the men's side, even more straight forward day of play now, obviously you had the

highest seed of either draw, upset on the men's side, as Fitzi did Lorenzo Musetti,

first match back from injury, certainly looked that way, Musetti just not ready for the overwhelming

pace of Marton Fuchabitch, Fuchabitch 7561, able to knock off the number five seed, now obviously

form Musetti at any point he can rack up, not going to be able to earn any here, but he can get my

amy pivotal, as he's got so many points to defend, after he was the fourth best player in the world,

maybe even the third best player in the world on the clay courts last year, yeah, it's a pivotal

stretch coming up for the Italian, certainly would like him to have some sort of form, some sort

of match callousness going in and sucks that he takes a first round loss here, but again,

imagine being thrust back your first match in a month and you're like all right well here's

the relentlessness, the pace, the size, the aggression of Marton Fuchabitch who when he strikes,

well as we know on the right day can hang or beat anyone on the ATP tour, again, impressive stuff

from Fuchabitch, it's your upset of the day, it's one of two upsets we saw of the seeds and

look again that second up set, disappointing given how good he was down in the golden swing

in winning the 500 level title in Rio, but like Thomas Martin etch very lost 7-6 in the third yesterday,

and it was 7-6 in the third to Dennis Schapp of all of it, Dennis Schapp of all of who even with

all of the struggles, even with those 500 points from Dallas coming off of his resume, still 39 in the

world, 7-6 in the third, it's been an awesome start for Schapp out quietly, probably his two

best wins by name, the etch of very win, more impressive, but obviously he gets the Seatsy-Post win

in his opening match as well, look we've seen Dennis Schapp of all of play on Xinner intrigantly,

we saw it as recently as of course they're four set of fair at the US Open last year, again,

not over like Xinner is of course the favorite especially after the one and one demolition

of Sforcina, like again he was downhill, this is okay, I apologize because I do this sometimes

relating my own tennis experience to what these professional athletes are doing, and it's different,

but I will go watch the film, I like to say one, not a zero, binary scale, I think that's true,

it is true, you know, anyways, I'm not going to justify my tennis game, here's what I'm going to say,

when I played an internament and there was a match up where I knew and yes, one not zero,

if I'm a one and I'm playing a zero opening round of a tournament, what's the thing you do to speed

up the match most frequently, the thing you go, okay, well I can win at any time, so I'm just going

to keep doing this thing, the answer is Servin Valley, when you're like there's nothing this guy can do

to hurt me with a return, I know for a fact I'm going to have a floating first value, let's just

get forward, beat done with it and crank that first value away, and the frequency and ease with

which Xinner was finding Servin Valley, first value, down opportunities particularly kick-wide,

first four hand Valley to the open court, like that was my play, that was my finisher,

and like that's the finisher you use when you're like I've got it, it's over, you're not going

to hurt me, easiest first value in the business, and just like he just kept cranking that one out,

and it's just again, it's excellence person, this guy was a 16 total matches in two and a half years,

the 10 total on the hard courts over his last, or it's like he's made, or 22 hard court events,

excuse me, he's made 18 finals, he's 114 titles, what are we talking about here? Another one

and one, to the bakery, Yannick Center goes, couple of breadsticks thrown up, fascinating matchup

between he and Shappa and Shappa Ball of Round 2, I mean again, other than that, every seed advanced

on the day, now some of them were pushed, certainly for you have Ben Shelton pushed to the

brink and what you knew would be a serve fast, not sure if Shelton's 100% healthy, he was dealing

with, he had some throat spray, which I think meant he was dealing with a sore throat, obviously,

trying to get, it felt like it was more flu type symptoms than a physical ailment is what I'm

trying to say for Ben Shelton, although the flu is physical, if you've ever had the flu, but

677663, Riley's playing really well, like if things break right, quarter finals in Miami for Riley,

very feasible, I wonder if I'm going to see Riley next week in Phoenix, of course, as well,

175K, I imagine he'll be in a better mood entering that Phoenix event than he was last season,

Post-Dallas and all, the hoopla of the fine that was, that's a good win for Ben,

good win for Felix Ojiroly, you see him obviously in a place he has struggled historically,

gets through three sets over the wild card, Guillermo Fees, he needed it, again, cannot take

two steps back, Felix during this sunshine swing needs to have his first big sunshine swing

of the, of the decade, three set win for him, three set win for our Capoco champion Flavio Caboli

and to go from those conditions to these conditions, so different, that's a tricky and impressive

three set victory for Caboli, who else was three sets on the day? I think that was all of your

three set winners, yeah, everything else was straight set, now there were still some good wins,

like Tiafo, oh, Francis looked good, gave Jensenbrook's be the business, in a foreign to win,

Jensen just could not hurt him, learner, six and six, over Adam Walton, that one was fun,

and yet the most impressive men's chick, I should say five and six over Carone, again,

like guys like Tommy Paul, Arthur Fees, earning victories on the day, Zverev, three and four over

a Baratini, that just did not have any gas left in the tank after the cramps of his round one

victory, but the sneaky most impressive, five one down in the opening set, Alejandro de

Villavigioquina wins 12 of the next 13 games, yeah, 12 of the next 13 games, seven, six, six, two,

he knocks off a very much informed Zaxfida, Zaxfida, by the way, has found his upside, I didn't know

if physically he'd be able to get to the point where his ball machine nature and just smoothness

of context, smoothness, and fluidity as a mover, like if he would be able to play a big enough

game and who's going to be a top 200 guy, but he will be a top 100 guy, he will be higher than that,

on the hard courts moving forward, just such a tough out, but De Villavigioquina had more juice,

had more spring, had more weaponry available to him, that was an impressive victory for De Villavigioquina

and again, blockbusters, now in round number three, Tiafo, Caboli, the Acapoco final rematch,

two matches later for each man, how about Shelton vs. Learner? Again, you go from Riley to Learner,

if you're Ben, just a miserable draw, you knew it from the start, obviously mentioned

sinnership of all of De Villavigioquina vs. Menchic, you know De Villavigioquina's 4-in-1

against the 20-year-old Menchic, shocking how frequently they've played, already given how young

Yakup Menchic is, shocking that De Villavigioquina's kind of had his number, thus far through their

career, really good around three matches ahead, but of course before we can celebrate round three,

gotta get you ready for a loaded day for schedule, of course, this is the day, and I didn't talk

much about this storyline, but of course obviously all those men's players, Medvedev, Hachinov,

prominently amongst them who got stuck in the Middle East, and obviously wishing health to all those

stuck in the conflict right now, I'm not, we're not gonna talk about it, I promise, don't worry,

listeners, you know I occasionally let my thoughts on non-tennis things leak through, I just,

I won't do that now because we're in the midst of the Sunshine Swing, I want to celebrate an

exceptional stretch on the calendar, but obviously it was a matter of well, could the ATP charter

flight, could anyone charter a flight to get players safely out of that region, and safely here

to the Sunshine Swing before play began, thankfully we were able to do that, and again a little extra

grace given to guys like Medvedev, like Rubelev, like Hachinov, and again, getting them

over here safely, the reason I bring all that up is there also in action on the men's side today

and looking across this men's day, by the way for those curious, I get to broadcast Alcarazverse

Dimitra, or certainly I think the second set of it at a minimum, that's the handoff match for me

in Leafsiris today, I'm praying, like on my behalf, tennis fans, pray that the first two matches

on Stadium 1, each go two plus hours, like pray, Haley Baptiste pushes Elena Rabakina,

we'll say, well the match after it's not before 1, you know what, that doesn't matter,

that match can go as quickly as it wants, Camille, my check needs to take Djokovic to a third,

because if he can do that for me, then I'm going to get all of Alcaraz Dimitra,

and I want all of Alcaraz Dimitra, of course, also going to be on the night matches,

Taylor Fritz takes on Jake Furnley, by the way, Furnley my guy, obviously, those are two cell phones

fortunate enough to have in the role of X, I'd like to thank both guys who have returned my texts,

Jake Furnley's been struggling a plate, and yet he's got the pop to make that one interesting,

I mean the matchups today are so good, Alcarazverse Dimitra, Vashroverse Borges for us

college tennis slappies, you've got, of course, Draper making his return as he starts his title

defense against RBA, Bias vs. Lachecha, that's an awesome match as Bias, quietly tuna,

and that career had to head, Rubelev gets Diallo, Umber gets Mikkelsen, and by the way,

I haven't even named the two best matchups of the day yet, of course, Hatchen off taking on

Funt's second, we get the best version of Funt's second, you just feel like these conditions with

how heavy an active football, he hits the lecture time for him as a mover, Funt's second should

be a monster at Indian Wells at the peaks of his powers. The best match of the day, of course,

though, 16 at Alex Dimitra, three in one in his career had to head against Sebastian Cordo,

but I got to see the American get better and better in his opening round match, of course, he was

elite on his way to the Delray Beach title a couple of weeks ago, feels like we are in one of

those Cepi Cordo runs, if he can get the signature victory over Demon, and a place where Demon

has obviously not had a ton of success before conditions enter the fedicle to his playing style,

that's the one you clear your schedule for, I love Algrés Dimitra, you favor Carlos, I love

Funt's second Hatchen off, I think given Funt's second start this season, you got a favor Hatchen off.

Cepi Cordo is playing well enough straight up, I just watched it, like he is playing well enough

to beat Demon, that's certainly probably my favorite matchup on the men's side, not probably,

it is my favorite day for a matchup on the men's side, on the women's side, you got a lot of good

ones as well, I mentioned it, Robacana, how is she going to, I mean, I should say, Haley Battees,

how will she handle that overwhelming pace of Alain and Robacana, second time she's gotten

to see it in her career, she's got some weapons, some creativity she can throw right back at the

Aussie Open champ, but excited for that mistest for the American, another American who's been

awesome of late Austin, finalist, she qualified into the main draw, won around one match, Taylor

Townsend, it's gonna be able to give Marta Costa, she could run Costa, it was so good the opening

week has struggled since, Townsend by the way, back up to 78 in the live rankings with her run

over these past couple of weeks, that season changing stuff from Taylor Townsend over the course

of this past month, massive opportunity for Ashland Kruger, she's probably been better,

these last month, even through all of her struggles, on Ludmila Samsonova, the return of

Chinwen, she'll take on Antonio Ruzic, you've got Shvian Tag, you've got Pagula vs. Vecchic,

which would have been an awesome match in 2022, but the match of the day of course, you clear

your schedule for it, 30 second seeded former finalist at this event, Maria Sockery, taking on the

rising lily tagger, yeah, that's the match up I'm going to be watching for most closely,

certainly here today, that one's going to be a very fun one, looking for it obviously to keep

in my eye on it, looking forward to coming back to breaking down day four, for all of you tennis

fans as of course I will try my best to offer a recap each and every day of the action, again,

for those of you who are kind enough to want to follow my calls on the tennis channel app tomorrow,

believe I'm going to get either Alcaraz Dimitrov, might get a little Andrew Vaciera, I know for

a fact, I will be on the call for Fritz, firmly that one nine pm Eastern time on stadium two court,

you can follow all of that action on the tennis channel app, by the way, make sure you have a

subscription to that tennis channel app as you don't want to miss out on any of their coverage,

not just of the Sunshine Swing, but of course, they're your home for North American tennis,

for all tennis here in North America and in the state specifically, of course, a shout out to the

team there, it's been, it's always the greatest pleasure to have the chance to be out here and

working with the crew here in Santa Monica, so a shout out to them for all they do, a shout out and

thank you, of course, as well, to the support we get from all the listeners, a shout out to our

super producer David Westoff, best in the business, and last but not least, a shout out and thank you,

of course, as well, to the support we get from our friends here in the spring sport world,

more about what I think you need to do right now, and I don't know if you need to do it,

visit the rules in front of that, day!