Azarenka advances easily at Indian Wells
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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 mightily 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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Unranked American Jamie Hampton upended 20th-seeded Su-Wei Hsieh, 6-3, 6-3 and will take on Urszula Radwanska after she knocked off 15th-ranked American Sloane Stephens, 6-3, 6-4.
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.