A quiet start, a showdown lost in the second set and finally a very tense last act. Caroline Garcia has known a bit of everything for her entry into the running on Saturday in Indian Wells. But the French managed to overcome her moments of tension so as not to go off the rails against the Hungarian qualifier Dalma Galfi and afford the match in three sets (6-1, 6-7 [4], 6-4). She will find in the third round the Canadian Leylah Fernandez.
After an ideal and controlled first set in 23 short minutes, the world n°5 had a much more complicated meeting. Her opponent clearly raised the cursor during the second act, especially in service with eight aces, when the Frenchwoman was less in control and lost a few more points over the course of the exchanges. But the danger really materialized in the decisive game which they started late (it was trailing 3-0) without ever managing to fully close the gap.
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The Frenchwoman never lost her face-off. She had four break points to defend and dismissed them all.
Salvation was ahead
The result was disputed on a wire for the Lyonnaise, very annoyed on some of her faults and not satisfied with her position behind the baseline. “Get it early, why are you waiting there every time”, she shouted after a new error. Three times, she had the opportunity to break at 4-3 in her favor. But she spoiled on the backhand before Galfi served fire on the next two. Garcia’s racquet was slamming on the floor when she lost that game.
But his merit was to know how to find himself despite his frustration. Her service pocketed, she rushed forward on the opposing face-off to conclude with two forehand winners and a return-volley that Galfi, under pressure, was unable to deliver. She could howl her relief in front of an audience rather conquered by the state of mind of the Frenchwoman.
