THREE QUEENS: Sabalenka, Gauff, Keys make Indian Wells Last 16

INDIAN WELLS (AFP) — World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka overpowered Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-2 to lead a string of top women's seeds into the Last 16 at Indian Wells on Monday.

Sabalenka said the unpredictable breeze on Stadium Court, coupled with the determination of her 62nd-ranked opponent, left her glad to emerge with the victory in an hour and 14 minutes.

"She played an incredible match," the Belarusian said. "The score looked easy, but it wasn't an easy match.”

"I had to fight for every point and I'm super happy with the win," added Sabalenka who next faces British lucky loser Sonay Kartal, who beat Polina Kudermetova 7-5, 6-3.

Meanwhile, Australian Open champion Madison Keys’ struggles were obvious, but the American who shocked Sabalenka in the Melbourne final gutted out a 6-2, 6-7 (8/10), 6-4 victory over Elise Mertens.

Unable to convert two match points as she served at 5-3 in the second set, the fifth-seeded Keys blew two more in the tiebreaker before finally polishing off the 28th seed from Belgium in two hours and 48 minutes.

"It's just about surviving," said Keys, who admitted she was finding it tricky to manage her own expectations in her first tournament since capturing her maiden major.

"Today, obviously, I don't think I played my best level, and I think that was more frustrating just because I'm starting to expect a little bit more of myself," she said.

"So just trying to navigate that."

World No. 3 Coco Gauff cleaned up her service act to pull off a 7-6 (7/1), 6-2 victory over Greece's Maria Sakkari -— who beat Gauff in the semi-finals last year on the way to a second Indian Wells final in three years.

After coughing up 21 double faults in a three-set victory over 52nd-ranked Moyuka Uchijima, Gauff delivered a more assured performance.

There was a wobble as she closed it out, with six of Gauff's nine double faults coming in the final game before she secured the match with a forehand winner.

"Resilience I guess," Gauff said of what she'll take from the win.

"Overall, it was much better than the previous match.”

"Just trying to keep getting better as the rounds go on. I lost to Maria last year in the semi-final so it felt good to get a little revenge today, even though I love her."

Gauff next faces Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Russian Diana Shnaider.

Two-time defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz highlighted the night session in the combined ATP Masters and WTA 1000 event.

Spain's Alcaraz, vying to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win three straight Indian Wells titles, takes on 27th-seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada.

The world No. 3 is the highest-ranked player remaining in the men's draw after No. 2 Alexander Zverev's second-round exit. Top-ranked Italian Jannik Sinner is serving a belated three-month drugs ban.

World No. 4 Taylor Fritz survived a scare but rallied to beat Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Fritz, runner-up at the US Open last year, is vying to return to the Indian Wells winner's circle after his 2022 triumph saw him become the first US man to lift the trophy since Andre Agassi in 2001.