Sabalenka cruises past Cristian into last 16
Aryna Sabalenka's quest for her maiden Indian Wells title continued as she breezed into the last 16 of the tournament with a straight-sets win over Jaqueline Cristian.
Sabalenka, who is a two-time runner-up at the WTA 1000 event, edged closer to another shot at glory in California with a 6-4 6-1 win over Cristian in one hour and 11 minutes.
A break of serve in favour of the world number one in the fourth game put her in control of the first set, though Cristian got the better of Sabalenka's serve at the end of the opener.
However, Sabalenka swatted away her opponent late revival to take the early lead, and she started as she meant to go on in the second as she surged 3-1 in front.
From there, the Belarusian reeled off the final three games in double-quick time, sealing her progression when a fierce serve was returned long of the far baseline by Cristian.
"There were so many things that really helped me to win this match," Sabalenka said. "I knew that she was not going to give up easily and would work hard.
"I think that's why I was super focused, especially on my serve – I didn't give her many chances."
Sabalenka's reward for her victory is a potential clash with fellow four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka, who faces Camila Osorio later.
