INDIAN WELLS: World No.1 Andy Murray crashed out of the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Saturday, sent spinning in straight sets by Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil.
Pospisil, ranked 129th in the world, triumphed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), sealing the biggest win of his career on his fourth match point to the delight a stadium court crowd won over by the underdog’s aggressive serve-and-volley style.
For Britain’s Murray, it was yet another disappointing performance in the California desert, where his best showing is a 2009 runner-up finish to Rafael Nadal.
Last year Murray was bundled out in the third round, but he was hoping for much better as he arrived fresh off his 45th career ATP title in Dubai.
“I don’t know exactly why it is, because in practice here normally I play pretty well,” Murray said. “And then some years I played well. Some years it just hasn’t quite happened for me. I don’t know exactly why that is.”
Murray was particularly disappointed to have dropped the first set after twice going up a break.
But he hurt his own cause with seven double-faults, part of a poor serving night that he said was key to the defeat.
Pospisil had never beaten Murray in four prior encounters. The 26-year-old, who defeated Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in the first round as Murray enjoyed a bye, notched his fourth career victory over a top-10 player and his first since 2014.
The Canadian, a Wimbledon doubles title winner with Jack Sock, was ranked as high as 25th in the world three years ago, but plummeted to as low as 135th in the world during a tumultuous 2016.
Late last year he began working with Australia’s Mark Woodforde — and he gave a shout-out to his new coach on court after wrapping up the biggest win of his career in one hour and 51 minutes.
In the women’s section, Venus Williams saved three match points as she roared back for a 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over old foe Jelena Jankovic on Saturday and a place in the third round.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion, her right arm bandaged and her serve speed down, surrendered the first set in just 20 minutes and was quickly down a break at 3-1 in the second.
“I definitely wasn’t able to do everything I wanted to,” she said. “Took me some time to kind of get my head around that.
“You have to get disciplined and just try to deal with what’s at hand and try to use the tools you have on this particular day,” said Williams, who did so with a vengeance.
She broke Jankovic twice to take a 5-4 lead in the second set before the Serb veteran, like Williams a former world No.1, broke in the 10th game to pull level at 5-5.
Serving to save the match, Williams was on the ropes in the 12th game but she saved three match points to force the decider.
Once she came through it, she ran away with the third, buoyed by an enthusiastic crowd.
“It ain’t over til it’s over,” she told her ecstatic fans of her determination to stick with it until the end. “And I didn’t see no fat lady singing.”
Williams next faces Czech Lucie Safarova, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 winner over American Coco Vandeweghe.
Safarova denied Vandeweghe a chance to avenge her semifinal loss to Williams at the Australian Open, where Williams fell in the championship match to her sister Serena.
Jankovic, meanwhile, could only regret her missed opportunities, especially her first match point that Williams saved with a volley winner.
“When she was at the net I was supposed to play that cross forehand but I played down the line and right to her and she made a winner,” Jankovic said. “I had everything under control and I just let it slip away.”
There was no such drama for second-seeded Angelique Kerber, who raced into the third round with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over fellow German Andrea Petkovic.
Kerber, who is assured of reclaiming the No.1 world ranking when the tournament ends thanks to Serena Williams’ injury withdrawal, reversed a run of poor fortune in the California desert, where she had not made it out of her tournament opener since 2011.
“Of course, it was not so easy to play against her, we know each other very long,” Kerber said.
“I was trying today just to focus more on my side of the tennis court. Just being focused on my game, because I think the last three years I lose here in the first round, so that was also something in my mind that I would like to change this year and just go through it.”
Kerber next faces France’s Pauline Parmentier, who ousted 27th-seeded Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-2, 6-3.
Women’s fourth-seed Simona Halep of Romania cruised through her opener, downing Croatian wild card Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-1.
Sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska beat Spain’s Sara Sorribes 6-3, 6-4 and ninth-seeded American Madison Keys made a successful return to competition with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Colombian Mariana Duque.
Keys was playing in her first match of 2017 after missing two months in the wake of left wrist surgery.
“It felt really good,” Keys said. “I really, really missed competing and being able to go out there and get a win on top of it was amazing.”
Pospisil, ranked 129th in the world, triumphed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), sealing the biggest win of his career on his fourth match point to the delight a stadium court crowd won over by the underdog’s aggressive serve-and-volley style.
For Britain’s Murray, it was yet another disappointing performance in the California desert, where his best showing is a 2009 runner-up finish to Rafael Nadal.
Last year Murray was bundled out in the third round, but he was hoping for much better as he arrived fresh off his 45th career ATP title in Dubai.
“I don’t know exactly why it is, because in practice here normally I play pretty well,” Murray said. “And then some years I played well. Some years it just hasn’t quite happened for me. I don’t know exactly why that is.”
Murray was particularly disappointed to have dropped the first set after twice going up a break.
But he hurt his own cause with seven double-faults, part of a poor serving night that he said was key to the defeat.
Pospisil had never beaten Murray in four prior encounters. The 26-year-old, who defeated Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in the first round as Murray enjoyed a bye, notched his fourth career victory over a top-10 player and his first since 2014.
The Canadian, a Wimbledon doubles title winner with Jack Sock, was ranked as high as 25th in the world three years ago, but plummeted to as low as 135th in the world during a tumultuous 2016.
Late last year he began working with Australia’s Mark Woodforde — and he gave a shout-out to his new coach on court after wrapping up the biggest win of his career in one hour and 51 minutes.
In the women’s section, Venus Williams saved three match points as she roared back for a 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over old foe Jelena Jankovic on Saturday and a place in the third round.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion, her right arm bandaged and her serve speed down, surrendered the first set in just 20 minutes and was quickly down a break at 3-1 in the second.
“I definitely wasn’t able to do everything I wanted to,” she said. “Took me some time to kind of get my head around that.
“You have to get disciplined and just try to deal with what’s at hand and try to use the tools you have on this particular day,” said Williams, who did so with a vengeance.
She broke Jankovic twice to take a 5-4 lead in the second set before the Serb veteran, like Williams a former world No.1, broke in the 10th game to pull level at 5-5.
Serving to save the match, Williams was on the ropes in the 12th game but she saved three match points to force the decider.
Once she came through it, she ran away with the third, buoyed by an enthusiastic crowd.
“It ain’t over til it’s over,” she told her ecstatic fans of her determination to stick with it until the end. “And I didn’t see no fat lady singing.”
Williams next faces Czech Lucie Safarova, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 winner over American Coco Vandeweghe.
Safarova denied Vandeweghe a chance to avenge her semifinal loss to Williams at the Australian Open, where Williams fell in the championship match to her sister Serena.
Jankovic, meanwhile, could only regret her missed opportunities, especially her first match point that Williams saved with a volley winner.
“When she was at the net I was supposed to play that cross forehand but I played down the line and right to her and she made a winner,” Jankovic said. “I had everything under control and I just let it slip away.”
There was no such drama for second-seeded Angelique Kerber, who raced into the third round with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over fellow German Andrea Petkovic.
Kerber, who is assured of reclaiming the No.1 world ranking when the tournament ends thanks to Serena Williams’ injury withdrawal, reversed a run of poor fortune in the California desert, where she had not made it out of her tournament opener since 2011.
“Of course, it was not so easy to play against her, we know each other very long,” Kerber said.
“I was trying today just to focus more on my side of the tennis court. Just being focused on my game, because I think the last three years I lose here in the first round, so that was also something in my mind that I would like to change this year and just go through it.”
Kerber next faces France’s Pauline Parmentier, who ousted 27th-seeded Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-2, 6-3.
Women’s fourth-seed Simona Halep of Romania cruised through her opener, downing Croatian wild card Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-1.
Sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska beat Spain’s Sara Sorribes 6-3, 6-4 and ninth-seeded American Madison Keys made a successful return to competition with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Colombian Mariana Duque.
Keys was playing in her first match of 2017 after missing two months in the wake of left wrist surgery.
“It felt really good,” Keys said. “I really, really missed competing and being able to go out there and get a win on top of it was amazing.”
