Gauff Meets Eala In Third Round As Indian Wells Delivers Drama
Rybakina, Raducanu, Anisimova, Bencic, Mboko also through in early WTA 1000 rounds.
Coco Gauff and Alexandra Eala both won hard‑fought second‑round matches at the BNP Paribas Open on 6–7 March 2026 to set up a compelling third‑round meeting at the WTA 1000 event, according to official WTA reports. Other seeded players including Elena Rybakina, Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova also advanced, ensuring high‑profile clashes as the tournament heads toward the round of 16.
Fourth seed Coco Gauff recovered from early deficits to defeat qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova 6‑3, 7‑6(5) in blustery conditions on Stadium 2. Gauff saved eight of 13 break points and surged through a second‑set tiebreak to end the contest, according to the WTA match report. The American’s victory marked her sixth consecutive year winning a main‑draw match at Indian Wells — a feat shared with Caroline Wozniacki and Lindsay Davenport in event history.
“I think I’m always going to get… one of the two return points,” Gauff said about her confidence returning under pressure, according to the WTA.
Gauff will face 31st seed Alexandra Eala, who staged a late comeback to beat Dayana Yastremska 7‑5, 4‑6, 7‑5 after Yastremska served for the match at 5‑4 in the deciding set. The contest lasted 2 hours and 43 minutes. Eala, in only her second meeting with Yastremska, improved her head‑to‑head to 2–0 and became the first Filipino player to reach the Indian Wells main draw under the current WTA 1000 format, as noted by the WTA.
“Focus was a huge part of the match today,” Eala said post‑match.
Rybakina, Muchova, Mboko, Advance; Raducanu Finds Form
Reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina survived a scare against Hailey Baptiste, saving three set points in the first set before prevailing 7‑6(5), 2‑6, 6‑2 in an entertaining battle, WTA statistics show. Meanwhile, Karolina Muchova extended her winning streak to seven matches with a 7‑5, 6‑2 victory over Anna Bondar.
Britain’s Emma Raducanu, seeded 25th, opened her Indian Wells campaign in style with a commanding 6‑1, 6‑3 win over qualifier Anastasia Zakharova. Raducanu’s first‑round victory ended a three‑match losing streak and featured powerful serving and aggressive ball‑striking, according to reports from The Independent.
Raducanu will next meet No. 6 seed Amanda Anisimova, who rebounded from a set down to defeat Anna Blinkova 5‑7, 6‑1, 6‑0. Anisimova stormed through the final two sets, winning the last nine games to close the match in 1 hour 39 minutes.
No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic opened her tournament with a straight‑sets win over qualifier Storm Hunter, advancing to the third round in her first match of the 2026 campaign. Twelve‑seeded Bencic was a 2019 Indian Wells semi‑finalist, according to the official tournament site.
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko also progressed with a 6‑4, 7‑6(5) victory over Kimberly Birrell. Mboko produced seven aces and broke serve five times, while later pairing with Mirra Andreeva to upset fourth seeds Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai in the doubles draw, The Canadian Press reported.
What’s Next
Third‑round action continues through the weekend at the BNP Paribas Open. Top matchups include Gauff vs Eala and Raducanu vs Anisimova, with winners advancing closer to the last 16.
