INDIAN WELLS, Calif.—Though Jennifer Brady is a wild card entry into the BNP Paribas Open and ranked No. 83 in the world, she was actually the favorite against No. 19-seeded Caroline Garcia on Friday.
That's because Brady has scored two wins over the accomplished Frenchwoman already this year, in Dubai and Hua Hin. On Friday, she completed the hat trick with a win, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 victory to advance to the third round at Indian Wells for the first time. It was Garcia who knocked Brady out at the stage of the desert tournament last year, and the former UCLA standout has been enacting revenge ever since.
"I actually started laughing when the draw came out just thinking about it," Brady told TENNIS.com. "I think it may be a little tougher for her in that situation. We've played already twice in the past month; third time and it's only March."
Another telling sign that Brady had the edge was her UTR: she is rated 13.21 while Garcia is 12.96. The American also just reached her first career WTA final at the $125K Series event in Indian Wells, to earn a wild card into this week's Premier Mandatory. She feels perfectly at home, to say the least.
"I stayed last year in the same house. It's nice, I go back and chill at a house, not a hotel," Brady said. "I've been on the road for a while, it's something different. I like the quietness [of Indian Wells]. I'm a pretty mellow person."
Brady used her looping groundstrokes and wide-stretching court coverage to maintain pressure on Garcia, who has struggled this season. The 25-year-old hasn't gotten past the third round at any event, but she's still a former world No. 4 with six WTA titles under her belt.
One of the most pivotal moments was at 5-2 in the second set, with Garcia trying to force a third. Instead of giving up the game, Brady hung in, saving multiple set points and dragging out the game to eight long minutes. Although she would lose the set, the momentum she built from her hard work would pay off in the decider, where she reeled off six straight games.
Besides beating Garcia in 2019, Brady is becoming known for a rather strange occurrence: breaking shoe laces. Her athletic game style has her sliding around the court, mixing power and delicate touch, and it seems like her shoes just can't handle it. Her lace snapped in the second set, forcing her to sit down and swap the entire thing out.
"It doesn't matter what shoe I use, I break a lace. It's been like that since I was 13," Brady said. "It's just the way I slide. Unfortunately, these courts are really gritty so it really tears up the shoe and the shoelace. I'm used to it and I don't really get fazed by those types of things. It's not a tactic, that's for sure."
