TENNIS: Sabalenka and Zverev march into Indian Wells semi-finals with straight-set victories

INDIAN WELLS, California — Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev kept their Indian Wells title hopes alive on Thursday, cruising past their respective opponents to reach the semifinals at the desert hardcourt tournament.

World No. 1 Sabalenka defeated rising Canadian Victoria Mboko 7-6(0), 6-4 in a tightly contested match, while fourth-seeded Zverev overcame France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-3 with relative ease.

Sabalenka was tested by 19-year-old Mboko, whose powerful serves and aggressive play kept the first set tied at 5-5 and forced a tiebreak. However, the Belarusian star’s mental toughness proved decisive, as she claimed the tiebreak 7-0 — marking the first time she has won a tiebreak without conceding a point.

“I’m happy with the win, even though a couple of things weren’t really working well today. I still managed to win,” said Sabalenka, 27. “She (Mboko) is definitely a future Grand Slam champion. It’s incredible to see how brave these young girls are these days. They go out there, take their shots, and fight. It’s impressive.”

The second set followed a similar pattern. Sabalenka built a 4-2 lead, but Mboko rallied to 5-4, threatening another tiebreak. The four-time Grand Slam champion held her nerve to close out the match, denying the teenager what would have been a historic fifth top-10 win of the year and the first by a Canadian woman over a world No. 1.

Zverev, meanwhile, dominated Fils with consistency and precision. The German committed only 17 unforced errors compared to Fils’ 27, and served just one double fault against four from the Frenchman.

With both players moving on, Sabalenka and Zverev now set their sights on capturing their first Indian Wells titles. -Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne/Reuters