The second round at Indian Wells got underway Friday with fan favorites advancing through unusual weather. Clouds dominated the sky all day, keeping the courts uncharacteristically cool and causing rain delays early in the evening.
Sakkari defeats Rogers 2-6 6-4 6-0
Following her 2-6 6-4 6-0 victory over Shelby Rogers, Maria Sakkari, the star of the Indian Wells episode of Break Point, opened up about the mental impact of playing someone who has beaten her in all three previous encounters: “I was scared of that match, because up until you beat someone, then you just feel like, what am I doing wrong and I cannot get a win over them.”
In the first set, Rogers came out swinging and forced the Greek into uncomfortable shots. A rain delay, uncommon at the desert tournament, gave Sakkari a chance to gather herself. She later told press, “I think that it was a good thing for me that we actually stopped. I had a little bit of time to reset and just think through a couple of things. I feel like I was very disappointed with my level up until we stopped with the rain, and played myself into the match in the second set.”
In the third set, Rogers appeared to struggle with a leg injury that left her visibly in pain. Sakkari had to focus on herself at the critical moment to break her…
