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British 11th seed loses 7-6 (3), 4-6, 5-7 to 31-year-old Croat
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Andy Murray loses second-round match to Alexander Bublik
Emma Raducanu’s time at Indian Wells came to an end on Sunday as she was defeated 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-5 by Petra Martic of Croatia in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. The Briton played at a solid level and fought back from a third-set deficit before she failed to serve out the match, eventually losing after two hours, 28 minutes.
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Raducanu, the 19-year-old US Open champion, was soon followed out of the tournament by Andy Murray, who lost 7-6 (9), 6-3 in his second-round clash with the 31st seed, Alexander Bublik.
For Raducanu, the challenge was an unorthodox former top-15 opponent with immense variety. After playing an excellent tiebreak to take the first set, Raducanu’s level dipped and Martic, 31, pounced, taking the set and a 2-0 third-set lead. However, Raducanu recovered and then broke again to serve for the match at 5-4. She stood two points from victory three times before losing her serve and the final three games of match.
Despite the frustrating result, Raducanu was not even certain of competing in Indian Wells at the start of last week as she recovered from a leg injury sustained last month. She said on Friday that, shortly after her injury, she had been told that the required recovery period ruled her out of Indian Wells. After a season so far defined by numerous ailments, she will now have the chance to train freely for 10 days before the Miami Open begins.
Briton ousts Kanepi to reach fourth round
Harriet Dart will break into the top 100 for the first time after continuing her stellar run at Indian Wells with victory over Kaia Kanepi in the third round. Fresh off a stunning win over the world No 18 Elina Svitolina, the new British No 2 fought back from 5-2 down in the opening set to defeat hugely-experienced Estonian Kanepi 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Dart, who came through qualifying to reach the main draw will rise to at least 99th in the rankings from her current position of 122. That will make her the second Briton in the top 100 behind Emma Raducanu. Next up for 25-year-old Londoner Dart is a clash with the big-hitting American 25th seed Madison Keys, who defeated compatriot Alison Riske 7-6 (4) 6-1. Keys is expecting a fierce battle, with the Australian Open semi-finalist, saying of Dart: “At this point she’s won almost a tournament worth of matches. I think she’s going to be really confident. Just doing whatever she can to win, has no pressure. I think she’s a really great player. She’s a really good ball-striker. She moves well. I think this court suits her game fairly well. Luckily I sent my coach out to watch her match today so he can give me a game plan.” PA Media
Shortly after Raducanu’s defeat, Murray generated three set points, and two on his serve, in a thrilling tiebreak against his Russian opponent 10 years his junior but he could not close the set out. After trailing by an early break in the second set, Murray faded and was unable to recover from the deficit.