Indian Wells Open: Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie beaten in third round

Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie both exited the Indian Wells tennis tournament in the third round, each losing in straight sets. Boulter, as the top-ranked British female player, lost 0-6, 5-7 to seventh-seeded Elena Rybakina, ending her run in the tournament. Her performance underscores the challenges faced by British players on the international stage.

Earlier, Norrie, as the second-ranked British male player, also fell short, losing 3-6, 5-7 to tenth-seeded Tommy Paul, failing to advance further. This means that Sonay Kartal, after achieving a career-best result in California, is now the only remaining British female player in the singles competition, while Jack Draper carries the sole British hope in the men's singles.

Boulter, who had been sidelined with a foot injury since the Australian Open in January, received a first-round bye as the 25th seed. She then defeated Irina-Camelia Begu to set up a meeting with former Wimbledon champion Rybakina. Rybakina quickly found her rhythm, winning the first seven games and taking the first set in 26 minutes. Boulter regrouped in the second set, breaking Rybakina's serve to lead 4-3 and serving for the set at 5-4. She saved two break points, but Rybakina capitalized on the third to level the score, and after holding her serve, secured the break with a double fault from Boulter on match point.

Paul won the most significant title of his career at the Indian Wells hard-court event in 2021, but this time he was defeated by the hometown favorite Paul. Paul will face Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in the next round. "It was a super strange match, a lot of breaks," said Paul, the world number 11. "I got off to a good start and tried to play some aggressive tennis. It was an up-and-down match for both of us."

Draper will carry the hopes of the British men's singles, and as the 13th seed, he will face American Jenson Brooksby on Monday. Medvedev advanced after his opponent, American Alex Michelsen, retired due to illness after only two games. Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece defeated Matteo Berrettini of Italy 6-3, 6-3, further shaping the tournament's landscape.