Belinda Bencic returns to Lauren Davis in their BNP Paribas Open women’s singles match at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California on Saturday. Belinda won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. (Photo: AFP)
Belinda Bencic returns to Lauren Davis in their BNP Paribas Open women’s singles match at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California on Saturday. Belinda won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. (Photo: AFP)
Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, fourth seed Garbine Muguruza and Spanish star Carla Suarez Navarro were all second-round casualties at the Indian Wells hardcourt tennis tournament on Saturday.
World No. 2 and second seed Kerber crashed out of the joint WTA and ATP event, losing her opening match in straight sets 5-7, 5-7 to Czech Denisa Allertova.
Former Wimbledon finalist Muguruza was upset by American Christina McHale 7-5, 6-1 and sixth seeded Suarez Navarro withdrew from the tournament with a right ankle injury just prior to her opening match against Daria Kasatkina.
Kerber knocked off 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. This is the third straight year she has lost her opening match at Indian Wells. The 28-year-old German said there are now more demands on her time since her victory in Australia.
In other women’s matches, seventh seeded Belinda Bencic of Switzerland beat American Laura Davis 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, Eugenie Bouchard beat Sloane Stephens 7-5, 7-5 and Italian Roberta Vinci outlasted Margarita Gasparyan 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/5).
Murray continues to march on On the men’s side of the draw, world no. 2 and second seed Andy Murray got his campaign off to a flying start with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) win over Spaniard Marcel Granollers.
Murray is playing in his fifth ATP Tour tournament since losing to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open. It was his fourth championship match loss to Djokovic and the fifth time he has lost in an Australian final.
Bopanna, Mergea crash in first round Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea suffered a first round defeat for the second time in a row, crashing out here.
The fifth seed Indo-Romanian pair lost 6-2, 4-6 4-10 to Spanish team of Feliciano Lopez and Mark Lopez in the opening round of the hard court event.
