Indian Wells: Niculescu books Serena showdown

This will be the first career meeting between the two tennis players.

INDIAN WELLS: Monica Niculescu rolled over Aleksandra Krunic 6-2, 6-1 to book a second round clash with Serena Williams at Indian Wells, where the American returns this week after a 14-year hiatus.

Reigning Australian Open champ Serena is one of 32 seeded players who received a first-round bye at the joint ATP Masters and WTA tournament in the California desert.

Top seed Serena is competing in the tournament for the first time since her self-imposed exile began in 2001. She claimed two singles titles in 1999 and 2001.

This will mark the first career meeting between Serena and Romania’s Niculescu when they square off Friday night on stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Four-time men’s champion Roger Federer arrived in Indian Wells on Wednesday less than 24 hours after competing in an exhibition match against Grigor Dimitrov at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Federer, who won his seventh title in Dubai earlier this month, will begin his Indian Wells campaign with a second-round match against either Jerzy Janowicz or Diego Schwartzman. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March  13^th,  2015.

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