Watson, Flipkens Advance During Day One Qualifying Action in Tennis Paradise

Tennis Paradise 2022 is officially underway from the desert! The BNP Paribas Open women’s qualifying draw kicked into gear on Monday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, with 11 Top-100-ranked players in action.

The day was not without some high-profile upsets. Japan’s Mai Hontama ousted top seed Greet Minnen of Belgium, ranked No. 78, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. The 22-year-old will next face Heather Watson of Great Britain. Watson, who reached the Round of 16 in the main draw here in 2015, the same year she rose to a career-high No. 38, was a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Spain’s Rebeka Masarova.

American Lauren Davis, 28, is no stranger to success on these courts. She famously stunned No. 3 seed Victoria Azarenka, 6-0, 7-6(2), in the second round back in 2014, and has twice reached the Round of 16. But world No. 95 had her hands full against former Wimbledon semifinalist (2013) Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium. In their first career head-to-head, it was the crafty veteran Flipkens, 36, who prevailed, 7-5, 6-3.

Next up for Flipkens is 20-year-old American Catherine McNally, who needed three hours and seven minutes to overcome Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, overcoming nine double faults to advance.

McNally’s compatriot Alycia Parks, 21, came out on the losing end on Monday, falling 6-2, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech.

Also advancing on Day 1 of qualifying were: France’s Harmony Tan (def. Priscilla Hon, 6-3, 6-4), Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic (def. Olga Govortsova, 7-5, 7-5), Australia’s Daria Saville (def. Kamilla Rakhimova, 7-5, 6-3), Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan (def. Tatjana Maria, 7-5, 6-2), Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko (def. Irina Bara, 6-0, 3-6, 6-2), Great Britain’s Katie Boulter (def. Xinyu Wang 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4), Italy’s Sara Errani (def. Ekaterina Gorgodze, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-0), Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova (def. Elizabeth Mandlik, 6-2, 6-1), Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti (def. Renata Zarazua, 6-3, 6-1) and Hungary’s Dalma Galfi (def. Maddison Inglis, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3).