Indian Wells: Martic outlasts Raducanu; Bublik overpowers Murray

Petra Martic defeated Emma Raducanu on Sunday to advance to the Round of 16 with a hard-fought win, while Alexander Bublik won against Andy Murray in the second round at Indian Wells.

Published : Mar 14, 2022 09:05 IST

Petra Martic of Croatia in action.
Petra Martic of Croatia in action.
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Petra Martic of Croatia in action.

Petra Martic kept her composure in a seesaw battle with Emma Raducanu on Sunday to advance to the Round of 16 with a hard-fought 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5 win at Indian Wells.

Raducanu was outstanding in the first set tie-break, spraying winners around the court, but her energy and service speed dipped in the second set as she appeared to struggle with some physical discomfort and Martic took advantage to level the contest.

The 11th-seeded U.S. Open champion Raducanu bounced back in the third and was serving for the match at 5-4 but the Croatian stepped up her defence to break the British teenager.

Raducanu sent a forehand long on match point to end the marathon, two-hour and 46-minute contest under sunny desert skies on Stadium One.

 

"I'm happy that I stayed calm when I was not playing so good," Martic said in an on-court interview.

"I think the match was up and down from both sides. We both had some good periods and bad ones out here, so I'm happy I was able to let that go and just focus on the next point."

Andy Murray out

Big-serving Alexander Bublik got revenge against Andy Murray in the second round, beating the former world number one 7-6(9), 6-3 to notch his first win over the Scot in three career meetings.

Bublik won the first set tiebreak to seize the momentum and pounded his way to the finish line as Murray was unable to convert any of his six break-point opportunities.

The Kazakhstani sealed the win with a deft drop shot on match point that Murray was unable to reach.

Bublik stood and joined the crowd in applauding the three-time major champion, who claimed his 700th career win on Friday, as he walked off the court.

Murray defeated Bublik in straight sets in Rotterdam in February.

In other second round action, Americans Taylor Fritz, Steve Johnson and John Isner all won in straight sets while Hubert Hurkacz of Poland needed three sets to battle past Oscar Otte of Germany at the Masters 1000 tournament.

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