World No. 1 Andy Murray was sent packing from the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Saturday after losing 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) to Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil.
Pospisil delivered the knockout punch in style, whipping a cross-court winner on his fourth match point in front of the near capacity crowd that included former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.
Pospisil, ranked 129th, was rewarded for his aggressive approach, rushing the net whenever the opportunity arose and pouncing on Murray’s second serve.
Photo: AFP
“I knew I was a long shot. I’ve played Andy four times and didn’t win a set,” the 26-year-old told the Tennis Channel. “I felt like I had the ability to [win], but to actually go through is a whole new thing. I tried to bring different tactics ... versus the other times I played him. I didn’t want to give him the same look each time. I wanted to put pressure coming into the net, using my strength, which is my ability at the net and serving well.”
Pospisil joked that his lowly world ranking was due to a “mid-life crisis” that saw him endure a lean season last year after he had made the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2015.
Earlier, Italian Fabio Fognini won a battle of expectant fathers when he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4.
Unseeded Fognini survived a first-set tiebreak and a tense final set before upsetting the seventh-seeded Frenchman in a match that stretched nearly 2 hours, 30 minutes in the blazing afternoon sun.
“I am happy about my performance. It’s a good victory for sure,” Fognini told the Tennis Channel after beating Tsonga for the first time in five career meetings. “Today was really hot, so the ball was bouncing a lot. I love playing with sun and good weather.”
Fognini considered himself fortunate even to make it to the second round.
The Italian dropped the first set to love and was down 5-2 in the second of his first-round encounter with Russian Konstantin Kravchuk, before roaring back to win 0-6, 7-5, 6-4.
“It is a crazy sport,” Fognini said.
Fognini’s wife, 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta, is expecting a child in late May, while Tsonga is also set to become a father next month.
In the women’s singles, Angelique Kerber breezed to a 6-2, 6-1 second-round victory over fellow German Andrea Petkovic.
Second seed Kerber broke Petkovic to open the match and needed only 58 minutes to claim the victory.
“It was not so easy [playing Petkovic],” Kerber said after the match. “We’ve known each other forever. It’s always tough to play against a friend.”
Fourth seed Simona Halep also won emphatically, 6-4, 6-1 over Donna Vekic.
Halep, the 2015 champion, broke her Croatian opponent no fewer than seven times.
“My serve is not that big, but I like to return. I’m really proud of it,” Romanian Halep said. “I’m not very powerful, but I have a little bit the technique and the angles. I love this place. I have great results here.”
While Kerber and Halep won in quick fashion, 12th seed Venus Williams beat Serbian Jelena Jankovic in a dramatic battle between former world No. 1s.
Jankovic raced through the first set and seemed poised for an upset, but the second-set tiebreak proved pivotal, as Williams survived, staving off three match points en route to a 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory.
“It ain’t over till it’s over and I didn’t see no fat lady singing,” said Williams, who played with her left thigh heavily strapped.
In the second round of the doubles, Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena and Liang Chen of China ousted Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-4, 2-6, 10-8 in 1 hour, 16 minutes.
Additional reporting by staff writer
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and