Elina Svitolina opens her BNP Paribas match with a win over Tereza Martincova

Elina Svitolina in competition at the BNP Paribas Open. 

Elina Svitolina had a comfortable start to her run at the BNP Paribas Open Friday. The fourth seed handled a late surge from Tereza Martincova but defended her side of the game to win 6-2, 7-5 on Stadium Four at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. 

The two met for the first time and in a location that is normally played during the early part of the tennis season. With the fatigue of 10 months of action being in position, the world number seven hoped all was well in her return to the desert. Svitolina tried to overcome her defeat at the US Open but came up short in her trip back to Chicago. Martincova got the jump on action at Indian Wells and went on to finish a long second set against Ashlyn Krueger to make the second round. As her first appearance had her moving right along, it would be imperative for her to play tough and achieve an upset if Svitolina gave her any leverage. 

The Ukrainian played on Martincova’s struggling opening service that produced the break. She comfortably held serve in the second and was back in position to wreak havoc on the Czech. A push from the fourth seed put Martincova under pressure that resulted in a double fault putting her two breaks down. Svitolina used her power and precision to comfortably finish another game on serve and lead 4-0 on a line drive return. 

After being blitzed through the set, the 26-year-old held serve to get on the board but watched Svitolina lead 5-2 after her second hold of serve. The Ukrainian took her shot to serve for the set in the eighth and rushed to victory in 24 minutes, shutting Martincova out. Svitolina won 92 percent of points from the first serve and won more points from the second serve return. Martincova’s return game was dismal along with the second serve that caused her to run late. 

She came into the second set with a heavy improvement that was answered by a serve to love from Svitolina. She went on to break the Czech but suffered a double fault in the fourth that handed her opponent a break to love. Martincova leveled the score and went into the fifth, fighting for a chance at consolidating the break. They went to deuce where after four breaks, Martincova read a moment where Svitolina’s vulnerability was her window to lead for the first time in the match. 

Svitolina made sure to level the score in the sixth and fought Martincova’s service game. She denied the 26-year-old game point, forced deuce, and set up a lined winning return to lead 4-3. Martincova broke back in the eighth, determined to stay tight with the fourth seed and make it a battle to the end. The Czech built together a serve to love in the ninth that set up a chance to force a deciding set. Svitolina delivered a blistering service game that made it five-all and Martincova back on serve. 

Svitolina kept the heat on her opponent and fired four beautiful return shots that won her the 11^th game and an opportunity to hang on to a straight-set result. She allowed the Czech one point on her service that completed the match with Svitolina scoring her only ace of the day.  It was a 68-minute effort from the fourth seed, who scored 80 percent of points from the first serve and had a steady return game than that of her opponent.