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Angelique Kerber enjoyed a fruitful start to her campaign at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. She also sent a heartwarming message to her one-year-old daughter, Liana, after her first-round win.
Kerber entered the main draw of the WTA 1000 event via protected ranking and faced Petra Martic of Croatia in the opening round match on March 7. The German, who made a comeback on the WTA Tour in 2024 after more than a year away, displayed impeccable serving, making 73% of her first serves to outlast Martic 6-3, 6-4.
Kerber managed to break Martic four times throughout the contest to book her place in the second round. After her match, the three-time Grand Slam champion talked about her daughter Liana, who recently turned a year old.
In her post-match on-court interview, Angelique Kerber was asked if she had a special message for Liana. The 36-year-old reminisced about how fast one year had gone by and advised the little one to follow her dream and do whatever she loves.
"You know it's crazy how fast one year went, but the message for her would be just follow your heart, enjoy what you love, and dream big, actually," Angelique Kerber said.
Kerber welcomed Liana on February 25, 2023, with her partner, Franco Bianco. She announced her pregnancy in August 2022, shortly before the US Open, and stated she would take a break from tennis.
Angelique Kerber to face Jelena Ostapenko in Indian Wells 2R
Angelique Kerber's next opponent will be the formidable Jelena Ostapenko. The two women will contest in the second round on March 9. The German enjoys a 2-1 head-to-head advantage, defeating the Latvian at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships and 2021 Western & Southern Open. Ostapenko's sole win over Kerber came at the 2021 Italian Open.
However, head-to-head prowess might not matter this time around, as Ostapenko has been very successful on the 2024 WTA Tour, winning 500-level titles at the Adelaide International and Linz Open. She is seeded No. 10 in Indian Wells and received a first-round bye.
Kerber would have breathed a sigh of relief after a comfortable win over Martic in the Indian Wells opener. She had won only on her comeback to the WTA Tour, defeating Ajla Tomljanovic at the United Cup. The former World No. 1 then lost to Danielle Collins at the Australian Open and Lucia Bronzetti at the Linz Open.
