Wed, Mar 16, 2016 page20

• Second seeds Chan sisters, Murray ousted

  • By Dave Carroll / Staff reporter, with AP, INDIAN WELLS, California
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  The Chan sisters crashed out of the second round of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Monday, the second seeds losing a day after the shock defeat of top seeds Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza.

  Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan fell to a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 defeat to US duo Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Coco Vandeweghe in 1 hour, 30 minutes.

  The US pairing saved five of nine break points and converted six of 11, winning 72 of the 131 points contested to set up a quarter-final against eighth-seeded fellow Americans Raquel Atawo and Abigail Spears.

  

  Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic returns to Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia in their BNP Paribas Open women’s singles match in Indian Wells, California, on Monday.

  Photo: AFP

  In the men’s singles, another second seed was upset in the third round, Andy Murray losing 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3) to world No. 53 Federico Delbonis of Argentina.

  There is something about playing in the Southern California desert that bothers Murray. He was a losing finalist in Indian Wells in 2009 and has reached the quarter-finals five times, yet he has never been comfortable with the high bounce and quick-flying balls in the dry air.

  He has changed up his preparation over the years, arriving several days early to practice or coming in just before the tournament begins. He even has his rackets strung four or five pounds tighter just for Indian Wells.

  

  Britain’s Andy Murray returns to Federico Delbonis of Argentina in their BNP Paribas Open third-round men’s singles match in Indian Wells, California, on Monday.

  Photo: EPA

  None of it has worked.

  “I have never really felt that I played my best tennis here,” Murray said. “I still feel like I can’t really go for my shots. I feel like when I do, I make mistakes long. I have tried many different things. I don’t know exactly why it is.”

  Delbonis scored the biggest win of his career, outlasting Murray in a 2 hour, 46 minute struggle. Three years ago, Delbonis defeated then-world No. 5 Roger Federer in the semi-finals in Hamburg.

  “With the crowd, it’s a little bit more pressure, but I’m enjoying that kind of matches,” Delbonis said. “It’s like a challenge every time and I [am] happy to get it.”

  The left-handed Argentine rallied from 4-1 down in the third set to level at 4-4 and got a break to lead 6-5, before Murray broke back to force the tiebreaker.

  “I just didn’t feel comfortable going for my serve,” said Murray, who had no aces and three double faults.

  Murray led 3-2 in the tiebreaker before Delbonis reeled off five straight points to close out the match.

  Murray was competing in his first tournament as a father. His wife, Kim, gave birth to their daughter, Sophia, on Feb. 7, a week after the Scotsman finished as the runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

  Also advancing were on Monday were third seed Stan Wawrinka, a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) winner over Andrey Kuznetsov; eighth seed Richard Gasquet, a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 winner over Alexandr Dolgopolov; and 10th seed Marin Cilic, who beat Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-3. Twelfth seed Milos Raonic advanced when 17th seed Bernard Tomic retired trailing 6-2, 3-0 because of a wrist injury.

  In women’s singles third-round matches, seventh seed Belinda Bencic was upset by Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, while 2008 winner Ana Ivanovic lost 6-2, 6-0 to 18th seed Karolina Pliskova, who improved to 4-0 in her career against Ivanovic.

  Victoria Azarenka, the 2012 winner, defeated wild-card Zhang Shuai of China 6-4, 6-3.

  Timea Bacsinszky beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in front of Wayne Gretzky, who was cheering his fellow Canadian, Bouchard.

  “I kind of just try to absorb every word he says and take it like it’s coming from God almost, because in our country that’s what he is,” Bouchard said.

  US Open runner-up Roberta Vinci beat 17th seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-1, 6-3, while Christina McHale of the US lost to Sam Stosur 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
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