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Martic outlasts Raducanu, Halep tops Gauff at Indian Wells
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 tiebreak, 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 US 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."
The win was Martic's first over a top 20 opponent since 2019.
In the evening session, 2015 champion Simona Halep defeated Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second week.
Gauff, who turned 18 on Sunday, had no answer for the Romanian veteran's superb shotmaking on a blustery night on Stadium One.
"I'm not scared about the wind. I never have been, even when I was a kid," Halep said.
"I think I played smart tonight because from one side you had to play different, from the other side a little bit different. So I think I managed very well all the moments."
Wearing a ribbon with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, German Angelique Kerber beat Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1 and said she tried to put the fact that she was playing against a Russian out of her mind.
Paul stuns Zverev, Murray overpowered at Indian Wells
Tommy Paul collected the biggest win of his career with a stunning 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2) victory over third seed Alexander Zverev under the lights at Indian Wells on Sunday.
After a strong start, the 24-year-old American's good fortune appeared to dry up in the California desert when the hard-hitting German was up a break and serving at 4-2 in the decider.
But Zverev committed four double faults in the game to let Paul back into the match and he did not waste the opportunity, keeping his nerve to force a tiebreak where he played nearly flawless tennis to secure the upset before an adoring crowd.
"I started well, I came to the net a ton and put a lot of pressure on his serve," Paul said in an on-court interview.
"He started serving really well there in the second set and even into the third, but I got kind of lucky there when I got down a break. We'll always take those," he said with a laugh.
Next up for Paul is a third-round clash with Alex de Minaur, who defeated fellow Australian John Millman 7-6(4), 6-3.
Earlier in the day, big-serving Alexander Bublik got revenge against Andy Murray, 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, who defeated Bublik in straight sets in Rotterdam in February, was left to wonder what might have been.
"Obviously in the tiebreak both of us had some chances, but in the first set I certainly created more opportunities and I didn't take them," Murray told reporters.
Sixth seed Matteo Berrettini managed to serve his way out of trouble to survive a tough test from 18-year-old qualifier Holger Rune and hang on for a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win.
The Italian Australian Open semifinalist was forced to retire with injury during the second set of his last match against Paul in Acapulco last month and admitted to having some rust.
"It's always tricky when you step into the court again so I'm happy to get the win," Berrettini said.
In other second round action, Americans Taylor Fritz, Steve Johnson, Frances Tiafoe and John Isner all won in straight sets, while fan favorite Diego Schwartzman of Argentina and Hubert Hurkacz of Poland needed three sets to advance to the third round of the Masters 1000 tournament.
"Right now, there's much more important issues in the world," Kerber told reporters.
"People are fleeing, the whole situation is topic number one and is frightening for everyone. As I've said, I don't live far from the situation.
"My grandparents are there and so of course you're checking the news every five minutes or every hour, you're in touch with folks. I think right now that's the topic that is occupying my mind and everyone else here."
Next up for Kerber is a third round showdown with third seed Iga Swiatek, who defeated Clara Tauson earlier in the day.
