Peng stuns Radwanska a second time at BNP Paribas Open

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Agnieszka Radwanska fell at the hands of Shuai Peng for a second straight time Monday. The unseeded Chinese star brought down the sixth seed at the BNP Paribas Open winning a well-deserved 6-4, 6-4 straight set score on Stadium 2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. It was the second-time Peng defeated the Polish powerhouse with a four-set winning streak very much alive.

The sixth meeting between the players came three years after their second-round match at the US Open where Peng delivered an early knockout to Radwanska in straight sets. The second best ranked player from China created a challenge for the world number six in what would be their second meeting at Indian Wells since 2008. Peng has been in action for over a week winning her way through qualifications and through the opening rounds. With a quarterfinals spot on the line, both tennis stars had to act smartly with one another or face a rough exit so deep in the tournament.  

Peng executed her opening serve well pulling Radwanska into the court where she landed a winner behind the Polish star for the lead. The sixth seed answered firmly on her serve and broke Peng in the third to open the gap for herself. Peng pulled a solid break to level back with a final shot that just landed inside the baseline making a statement early of her intentions to stay competitive.

The push to get on serve worked in her favor taking Radwanska to another degree to secure the victory and every chance at dictating the set. She got to a 4-2 lead but the concern on Radwanska’s end was enough for her to catch back up and be level once again through eight. Despite the Pole’s attempts to change the pace, Peng was a force with tremendous strength showing solid defense to keep the pressure on.

She gained a 5-4 hold on serve in the ninth to trouble the world number six into submission. She had three set points but watched them all disappear allowing Radwanska a chance at forcing the set to its brink. Peng found a way to counterattack Radwanska in the rallies forcing her from left to right behind the baseline before striking to gain the leverage. It all came to an end for her benefit delivering a sharp winner that the Pole couldn’t get back in. It became the third consecutive set that Peng defeated Radwanska in 45 minutes.

Peng was still on top of things going into the second maintaining her stance on serve while delivering the heat to Radwanska on the break. The sixth seed brought Peng to a halt in the third with an important that could have turned into a disaster if not dealt with. It was avoided for the time as she reached a leveling point with Peng hanging on during her service in the fourth.

Despite her actions to stay even, Peng responded to a degree that her fight for the break brought Radwanska down a notch. The 31-year-old reached two break points before smashing a shot that gave her another two-game margin due to her solid second serve. She continued to dominate with the ball in hand taking a 5-2 stance to play for a quarterfinal spot and pull off the upset. Running out of chances, Radwanska brought herself in the court and attempted to pull off some trick shots.

It had its on and off moments but the ace landed for game point led the sixth seed to land a winner and play on. Radwanska caught a huge break in the ninth as Peng’s game was absent on her first opportunity to serve for the match. Too many mistakes let the Polish star climb back and sit a game down from tying things up and the ball back in her possession to make it happen.

It wasn’t going to be easy for either player to make things go their way and proven so with a dead tie at 30 all. A bad unforced error handed Peng her first match point which arrived on a line drive far from Radwanska to pull off a fourth straight set defeat and another shakeup in the tournament. The first serve of Peng’s thrived from beginning to end while Radwanska struggled all match long with her second. She landed just two of nine in the final set and 8 of 14 on the returns.

Peng had plenty going for her as a qualifier and would find herself facing American tennis star Venus Williams Tuesday in what would determine how far her skills can take her.