The Swiss’ first time teaming up with Indian Sania Mirza, the two enjoyed an absolute dream run to the trophy. Confidently seizing all of their matches in straight sets, the duo didn’t drop more than four games throughout the tournament. Seeded at No. 1, the pair faced No. 2 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, pulling off a stunning 6-3, 6-4 victory in 1 hour and 10 minutes. This marks Martina’s first victory at the tournament since it moved to Indian Wells, winning two titles in the past in 1998 and 1999.
Sabine Lisicki (VCORE Tour 97, POLYTOUR SPIN) placed as semifinalist in the tournament, beating defending champion Flavia Pennetta in a rollercoaster quarterfinal match. Sabine took charge in her first ever meeting with the Italian, seizing set 1 confidently at 6-4. Determined to defend her title, Pennetta came back to take the second tense set by forcing a tiebreaker. The fierce competition continued into the decider, both players boasting strong service games. Sabine was faced with three match points at 4-5, but fought them all off with huge strokes, the German’s trademark. Sabine sealed her victory with a stunning ace, falling to her knees upon scoring the winning point. The big-serving world-record-breaker landed 44 winners, taking the nearly three-hour outing with a 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(4) scoreline.
As reported on earlier, Belinda Bencic (EZONE Ai 100, POLYTOUR HS 125) made it to the fourth round of the tournament, defeating world No. 5 Caroline Wozniacki in the previous round. The 18-year-old Swiss has started competing in full YONEX gear as of this year. With YONEX now backing her up head-to-toe, the 2014 US Open quarterfinalist continues to break new ground this season. Check out Belinda in her new tennis wardrobe, along with compatriot Stan Wawrinka (VCORE Tour G, SHT-PRO), at our official tennis wear website.
*Photos of Martina, Sabine and Belinda taken at the 2015 Australian Open