Indian Wells, CA (Sports Network) - Top-seeded and defending Indian Wells
champion Victoria Azarenka earned a straight-set victory over Daniela
Hantuchova on Saturday in the second round at the $5.186 million BNP Paribas
Open.
Azarenka, the reigning Australian Open champ, needed just 92 minutes to
dispose of the two-time Indian Wells champion Hantuchova, 6-4, 6-1 on the
hardcourts at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The Belarusian right-hander continues her quest for her third WTA title of the
season when she takes on Kirsten Flipkens in the third round after the 28th-
seeded Belgian outlasted Monica Niculescu, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Fourth-seeded German Angelique Kerber bested Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-3, 6-2 to
advance to the round of 32 where she will take on German Yanina Wickmayer, who
bounced back from a first set misstep to down Croatian qualifier Mirjana
Lucic-Baroni, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Caroline Wozniacki was tested mightly in her second-round bout, but the eight-
seeded Wozniacki slipped past Alize Cornet of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Elena
Vesnina awaits Wozniacki in the third round after the 29th-ranked Russian
defeated Korean wild card Kimiko Date-Krumm, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Seventh-seeded Samantha Stosur sent American wild card Madison Keys packing
with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph, while 11th-seeded Ana Ivanovic scorched American
teenager Taylor Townsend, 6-1, 6-2. Townsend was coming off a win in her WTA
debut in Friday's first round.
Ivanovic, a former world No. 1, will meet Mona Barthel in the third round
after the 24th-seeded German cruised past Kiki Bertens, 6-1, 6-4.
Stosur, meanwhile, advances to the round of 32 to face Shuai Peng, who earned
a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 triumph over Alexandra Dulgheru.
Tenth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova breezed past Stefanie Voegele, 6-2, 6-3 and
will battle 21st-seeded German Julia Goerges, who earned a 6-3, 6-3 victory
over Swede Sofia Arvidsson.
Unranked American Jamie Hampton upended 20th-seeded Su-Wei Hsieh, 6-3, 6-3 and
will take on the winner between 15th-ranked compatriot Sloane Stephens and
Urszula Radwanska.
Spanish qualifier Garbine Muguruza knocked off 17th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova,
6-3, 1-6, 6-4. Muguruza will take on Magdalena Rybarikova, who also came up
with an upset Saturday as she snuck past 16th-seeded Lucie Safarova, 6-2, 4-6,
6-2.
This Premier Mandatory WTA event will pay its newest champion $1 million.
The Sports Network