Serena Wiliams to play Venus in Indian Wells third round

Posted: Mar 11, 2018

Serena Williams will play her sister Venus in the third round at Indian Wells as she continues her comeback after the birth of her child.

The 36-year-old American, who was out for 14 months, beat Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 in round two.

“Everything is a bonus,” said Serena after winning in one hour, 52 minutes on her second match point.

The sisters last met in the 2017 Australian Open final, when Serena won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title.

Serena was already pregnant with daughter Alexis Olympia, who was born on 1 September, when she beat Venus 6-4 6-4 in Melbourne.

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Venus beat Sorona Cirstea of Romania in her second-round match 6-3 6-4.

They will play their 29th competitive match on Monday, with Serena having won 17 of the previous 28.

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Indian Wells Honoured For Fourth Straight Year

Posted: Mar 11, 2018

Indian Wells Honoured For Fourth Straight Year

Mar102018

Popular ATP World Tour event receives recognition

Year after year, the BNP Paribas Open continues to set the benchmark for tennis excellence on the ATP World Tour. The prestigious tournament in Indian Wells is consistently at the forefront of sporting innovation and is highly regarded by players and fans as one of the best events on the calendar.

On Saturday, the tournament in the California desert was honoured once again, receiving its trophy as the top Masters 1000 event in the 2017 ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon. It marked the fourth consecutive year in which it has celebrated the achievement.

Linda Clark, ATP Vice President – Tournament Relations, Americas, presented tournament director Tommy Haas with the trophy in an on-court ceremony following Dominic Thiem’s victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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“As both a player and now as Tournament Director, I can understand why this event has been named Tournament of the Year for the fourth straight year,” said Haas. “I have an incredible amount of respect for the countless hours of planning and dedication that the entire staff contributes to make the BNP Paribas Open one of the best sporting events in the world, and this award re-affirms that our actions are being appreciated by the players. We remain focused on improving the event every year and hope to make the 2018 edition even more memorable for fans, players, media and sponsors.”

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Prior to the 2017 tournament, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden underwent extensive renovations designed to enhance the overall fan experience, including substantial upgrades to Stadium 1 – ranging from a massive expansion of the Stadium Plaza to renovating all the suites and hospitality spaces to adding 21 new restaurants and concessions. Leading up to this year’s edition, the tournament underwent a full-scale beautification project, including the addition of 62 palm trees, as part of a sweeping ‘green’ initiative.

The Tournament of the Year awards, voted annually by ATP World Tour players, recognise the leading standards set across the three tournament categories on the Tour. The Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC and the Qatar ExxonMobil Open won the remaining two awards, in the ATP World Tour 500 and 250 tournament categories respectively.

Visit the official ATP World Tour Awards section on ATPWorldTour.com.

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