Badosa outlasts Azarenka to win Indian Wells in her debut

Arabnewsksa18 Oct, 2021News

INDIAN WELLS, California: Paula Badosa edged Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-6 (2) on Sunday to win the BNP Paribas Open in her debut in the Southern California desert, where the tournament returned after a 2 1/2-year absence because of the coronavirus. She joined Bianca Andreescu in 2019 and Serena Williams in 1999 in winning the title in her first appearance. It was Badosa?s second title of her career, having won in Belgrade earlier this year. Cameron Norrie played Nikoloz Basilashvili in the men?s final later. Badosa and Azarenka struggled for over three hours, trading back-to-back service breaks five times. The last time Azarenka broke for a 5-4 lead in the third, and Badosa broke right back for a 5-all tie. ?We were both going for our shots, really pushing each other to the max,? Azarenka said.