Indian Wells: Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka lined up a fourth-round clash at Indian Wells on Sunday as fourth-ranked Coco Gauff retired with a left arm injury.
World number one Sabalenka powered past Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 6-1 to book a last-16 meeting with former champion Osaka.
Japan’s Osaka, seeded 16th, pounced for a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Camila Osorio to avenge a demoralizing first-round loss to the Colombian here last year.
They were joined in the fourth round by the Philippines’ rising star Alexandra Eala, who was leading Gauff 6-2, 2-0 when the American retired with a left arm injury.
Gauff said the pain “felt like a firework going off inside of my arm, and then my whole arm felt like it was on fire.
Gauff trailed 5-2 in the first when she took a medical timeout, a trainer massaging and manipulating her left arm and shoulder.
After Eala broke to take the set on a double fault from Gauff the trainer wrapped her left forearm.
It was to no avail, and after 54 minutes Gauff went to the net and told Eala she was calling it a day.
Sixth-seeded Amanda Anisimova and seventh-seeded Jasmine Polini moved safely into the last 16.
American Anisimova needed just 52 minutes to rout 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu of Britain 6-1, 6-1 while Italy’s Paolini beat Aussie veteran Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 5-7, 6-1. Agencies
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