Jannik Sinner played cautiously before finally finding his rhythm to defeat Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-2 in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open and continue his quest for his first Indian Wells title.
The world No. 2 dropped his serve without winning a point in the opening game but responded immediately and gradually settled into the match before producing a brilliant performance in the second set to secure victory in 71 minutes.
"Denis is a high-quality player, as we all know. He's in top form, so I'm very happy with my performance," Sinner said.
"I tried to stay solid on the baseline, but also be a little more aggressive in the second set, which helped me. It was a tough start for me, but I'm happy with how I reacted."
Sinner, a semifinalist at Indian Wells in 2023 and 2024, is through to the fourth round for the fifth time in his five appearances in the California desert.
With the win, Sinner improved to 2-1 in his head-to-head against Shapovalov and extended his winning streak against the left-hander to 19 matches.
