3 to see women's matches in Round 3 at Indian Wells

Four Grand Slam champions and two comeback kids are among the players in the three to see Round 3 matchups happening at Indian Wells on Sunday and Monday.

Coming off a straight-set win over friend Donna Vekic, Caroline Wozniacki is playing well in the desert and will face an American player who has been the disrupter of her portion of the draw. Katie Volynets has defeated Mirra Andreeva and Ons Jabeur in her previous rounds without dropping a set. Wozniacki, the 2018 Australian Open champion, is always a crowd favorite, but the 22-year-old American Volynets is a native Californian whose success has come at the ITF circuit.

Volynets has been a delight to watch proving that good things take time to develop. She turned pro in 2018 and is rising in the rankings now well within the Top 100. Wozniacki has also been forced to be patient in her comeback from having children; she returned to the tour in the fall of 2023. This match is scheduled for Sunday at 9:00 PM EDT.

Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, and Emma Raducanu are set to play on Monday

Speaking of mothers who are finding their game in Indian Wells, Naomi Osaka is into the third round and faces Elise Mertens on Monday. Osaka was tested by Liudmila Samsonova in the second round but prevailed in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3. Osaka returned in January after taking 2023 off on maternity leave and has had her share of tough draws and outstanding players in the early rounds of her matches. Her slow and steady progression continues. Osaka leads in their head-to-head matches 3-1, but she has not faced Mertens since 2021.

Aryna Sabalenka emerged from the brink of defeat over American Peyton Stearns who played the match of her life on Saturday night. Sabalenka will face Emma Raducanu in the third round. The two players have never met before which makes this match more intriguing. Raducanu had a walkover in the second round so she should be fresh and ready for Sabalenka's power serve and aggressive play which could be dialed up a notch after the close call with Stearns. Sabalenka appeared to tweak her ankle but seemed unfazed by it during the Stearns match.

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