Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber beat Petra Martic 6-3 6-4 in 1 hour and 29 minutes in the first round of the BNP Paribas in Indian Wells claiming her first top 100 win since coming back from maternity leave.
Kerber won 69 % of her first serve points. The German player earned her first break in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Martic broke straight back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Kerber converted her third break point and served out the first set 6-3 on her second set point.
Kerber earned an early break in the first game of the second set. Martic broke straight back in the second game at deuce to draw level to 1-1. Kerber broke for the second time at 15 in the fifth game with a backhand down the line to take a 3-2 lead. Martic saved a break point in the seventh game with a sliced backhand winner to hold serve after four deuces. Kerber served out the win on her second match point.
Kerber lost six of her last seven matches since she returned from maternity leave last January after giving birth to her daughter Liana in February 2023. She had won her only match against Ajla Tomljanovic in last January’s United Cup from match point down.
Kerber beat Martic 7-5 6-3 in their most recent head-to-head match in the first round at Roland Garros in 2012.
Kerber set up a second round match against number 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko, who won two titles in Adelaide and Linz.
Kerber leads 2-1 in her three head-to-head matches against Ostapenko, including a 4-6 6-2 7-5 win in their only previous head-to-head hard court match in the third round in Cincinnari 2023.
Paula Badosa, who won the Indian Wells title in 2021, was forced to withdraw from the match due to a lower back injury.
