Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion, crashed out of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Saturday. Kerber lost her opening match in straight sets, 7-5, 7-5, to Denisa Allertova.
Kerber, ranked No. 2 in the world, defeated Serena Williams in the Australian Open final in January for the first Grand Slam tournament victory of her career.
But Kerber’s biggest problem on the WTA Tour has been inconsistency. She played superbly in Australia but then lost her first match at Doha in February. This is the third straight year she has lost her opening match at Indian Wells.