• BNP Paribas Open

Baltacha humbled by Molik at Indian Wells

ESPN staff
March 14, 2010
Elena Baltacha was out of sorts on Sunday © Getty Images
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Elena Baltacha proved no match for Alicia Molik as the Briton crashed out of the BNP Paribas Open at the third round stage on Sunday.

Baltacha, who defeated Li Na in the previous round, never found her rhythm against her Australian opponent, losing 6-0 6-2 in less than an hour. Only once did Baltacha seriously threaten Molik's serve during an encounter that saw her broken on five occasions.

The first set was an absolute nightmare for Baltacha, who found her target with only 33 per cent of first serves, winning just 10 points in the entire set. By contrast, Molik barely put a foot wrong as she kept unforced errors to a premium to take the lead in clinical fashion.

A couple of aces signalled an improvement in Baltacha's game in the second set, but she could only win two games as Molik turned the screw to clinch the match.

Maria Sharapova crashed out at the hands of Australian Open semi-finalist Jie Zheng 6-3 2-6 6-3 to continue her up-and-down year to date.

The top-20 star lost in the first round of the season's first Grand Slam in which Zheng had so much joy, but reversed that form emphatically by taking out the Memphis Open. She needed more than two hours to win her second round match and this marathon two hour, 43 minute battle proved a bridge too far for the Russian.

Sharapova served 14 double faults in the match, but she was still right in it when she broke to go 3-2 up in the deciding set before getting treatment on an elbow injury, and losing four games straight afterwards.

Fourth-seed Elena Dementieva progressed with a straight-sets win, but she didn't have it all her own way in beating Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 6-2. The Russian was broken once in each set but was able to hit back with interest against an opponent ranked 70 positions below her.

Agnieszka Radwanska, the tournament's fifth seed, barely broke into a sweat as she breezed past Gisela Dulko to qualify for the fourth round. Radwanska converted exactly half of her 10 break opportunities to dominate Dulko in a 6-1 6-0 victory.

No. 11 seed Marion Bartoli was equally comfortable as she joined Radwanska in round four with a 6-2 6-0 victory over Jill Craybas. Bartoli broke three times in either set to wrap things up in under an hour.

In a battle of 19th seed Aravane Rezai and 15th seed Francesca Schiavone, it was the underdog who came from a set down to triumph. Schiavone claimed the advantage by taking the first set tie-breaker, but Rezai battled back for a 6-7(4) 7-6(2) 6-4 victory.

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