Back in action at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time since he beat five Top 5 opponents to win the Rolex Paris Masters last November, Holger Rune picked up where he left off with a convincing Saturday win against American Mackenzie McDonald in Indian Wells.

The Dane opened his BNP Paribas Open campaign with a 7-5, 6-3 win against McDonald, not surrendering a break point in the match. Rune broke at love in the final game of the opening set, converting on his first break chance to close out a difficult set, then cruised to the win behind an early break in set two as his game improved.

“It was very difficult. Super windy and actually the first time in my life that I even stepped out on this court,” Rune said after the win on Stadium 2. “Everything was tricky and Mackenzie is a tricky player as well, so I had to be there from the beginning. As I found my rhythm, I started feeling better, taking control of the points, which was part of the plan.

“In the second set I just felt like I was playing better and better, so I’m super happy.”

The seventh-seeded Rune is making his third appearance at Indian Wells and his first as a seeded player. This time last year, he lost a three-setter to Matteo Berrettini as the World No. 86. He enters this year’s event at a career-high of No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, and is already up to No. 7 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

While he enjoyed the benefit of a first-round bye this week, his mentality has not changed.

“Honestly I always put some pressure on myself when I play matches, whether I’m No. 86 or No. 8 in the world, or whatever,” he said. “I played Berrettini last year and even though I was No. 86, I put pressure on myself to win and I was very close. For sure a lot has changed throughout the year and I’m super happy with where I am. But there is a race to improve still.”

Next up for Rune is Stan Wawrinka, who beat 28th seed Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(8), 6-4 earlier on Saturday. It will be the pair’s second ATP Head2Head meeting, with Rune scoring a comeback win in their first meeting last November Paris opening round.

“He’s a great player, has had a great career,” Rune said of his next opponent. “I’m just going to try to focus on myself and do everything I can to beat him.”

Rune used his Paris victory against Wawrinka spark a run of five straight Top 10 wins on his way to the biggest title of his career. He broke into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time behind that triumph, and entered Indian Wells at a career high of World No. 8. Already up to No. 7 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Rune could crack the Top 5 by winning his fourth tour-level title next Sunday.

The first sentence of Charles Dickens’ A Tale Of Two Cities begins, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” That has certainly been the case for Taro Daniel over the past four months.

The Japanese star is playing some of the best tennis of his life. In Acapulco, he qualified and reached the quarter-finals behind a win against World No. 4 Casper Ruud, the best victory of his career by Pepperstone ATP Ranking. At Indian Wells, Daniel is into the third round following an upset of former World No. 6 Matteo Berrettini.

“What’s really big with this week and last week is that I know what I did in order to have the biggest chance to win, especially with Casper and Matteo,” Daniel told ATPTour.com. “A few years ago when I beat Djokovic here, I didn’t really know why [or] how I beat him. It just felt like he wasn’t playing that well and I got some balls back and I took the chance. But consciously I didn’t know. [It was] like, ‘Oh, what happened?’

“Today, last week, I know at certain moments I pushed back, I was able to fight back tennis-wise, mentally. Those parts are definitely the biggest growth I feel in myself.”

That clarity has come after a period of tribulation. On 31 October last year, Daniel’s mother, Yasue, passed away. Taro wrote a touching social media post to pay tribute to her in the immediate aftermath.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Taro Daniel (@tarodaniel)

Yasue had been ill for two years, but her final few months “went very fast” according to Daniel.

“It’s amazing, even the fittest people can deteriorate very, very quickly and that was something very crazy to see because my mom was incredibly healthy, fit and strong,” Daniel said of his mother’s undisclosed illness. “She traveled the world a lot and it [was] crazy the last few months.”

Daniel was happy that his entire family was able to be together with the family’s matriarch in her final days. After her memorial, he took an extended offseason.

“I took almost the entirety of November off just to take care of the logistics, go to Japan, stuff like that. In the offseason I struggled quite a bit because I was working really hard, but then I just couldn’t believe I was going to go to Australia to play tournaments,” Daniel said. “I enjoyed working in the gym and everything, but I couldn’t see myself competing.”

It became tougher when Daniel lost to World No. 470 Ajeet Rai in qualifying for Auckland in the second week of the new season. The weather caused matches to be moved to a lightning-quick indoor hard court, and Daniel fell in three sets.

“That really kind of took a lot out of me and I was even thinking of taking time off from tennis right before Melbourne started,” Daniel said. “Those couple of months were quite difficult. That’s when all the points were coming off, my motivation to compete was not quite there. I didn’t know what to do.”

But the former World No. 64 continued on and played for his country in Davis Cup action after the Australian Open, which helped turn things around. The problem was that after Japan’s victory against Poland, he contracted the flu (he tested negative for Covid-19).

“I was in bed for five days [in Dallas], and that hasn’t happened in years. When I got the flu the last time, I was just in bed for one or two days and it was fine. But this time it really took it out of me,” Daniel said. “I was disappointed because of course playing a main draw of an [ATP] 250, I’ve done it many times, but I still don’t want to miss that chance, especially because I was playing pretty well so I felt like, ‘Oh man, what if my ranking starts going down?’

“Those thoughts start coming in when you’re sick and alone in the room.”

The first day, he slept nearly the entire day and barely ate. The next couple of days Daniel was able to eat more. But increasingly the anxiety built and as he struggled to enjoy quality sleep, nightmares trickled in.

But thankfully for Daniel, he physically recovered well. Following a lopsided loss against in-form American Mackenzie McDonald in Delray Beach, the Japanese player caught fire and is now set to face 2021 Indian Wells champion Cameron Norrie in the third round. It would have been understandable — if not expected — if Daniel struggled for longer after his mother’s passing.

“You just accept that you are going to think about it,” Daniel said.

He added: “I don’t know if the deceased look over tennis. I think they’re way beyond tennis or anything. But definitely that was also a great part of my growth for sure, because it was of course very difficult.”

But Daniel has also learned to have a positive outlook. The World No. 103 is not only playing well on court — he is up to No. 96 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings — but relishing his time off it. His father, Paul, is in Indian Wells, as are several other people who have played a critical role in Daniel’s career, including a coach from the Japanese Tennis Association, a physio he has used on and off for years, and Sven Groenefeld, his former coach, who remains an advisor.

“Actually the last time [my father] was at a tournament was here last year and my mom was here as well,” Daniel said. “It’s been a very tough year, especially for him. It’s been for all of us, but especially for him because he had to take care of her a lot. I think it’s great for him to come out here and have this great week with all of us together.”  

Taylor Fritz came back from a set down to win a battle of two of the brightest stars in American tennis on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open. Beginning his title defence in Indian Wells, the World No. 5 was challenged by the fast-rising Ben Shelton but ultimately used his big-match experience to navigate through a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory.

The pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting lived up to the hype, as both showcased their electric brand of attacking tennis. While the competitors traded big serves and booming forehands in an entertaining match on the packed stadium court, it was Fritz’s patience and poise that made the difference in the desert.

“He’s a really good player,” Fritz said of Shelton in his on-court interview, after sharing a warm embrace with his opponent at net. “I expected him to come out serving well. He was playing well. He had nothing to lose so I did expect him to come out with a really high level.

“I think I was ready for it. I just had to regroup and find a way to problem-solve. He’s an incredible player, an extremely tough first match to play, so I’m happy to get through it.”

The 25-year-old, five years Shelton’s senior, locked in from the baseline to earn the two crucial breaks that decided the match. They came in the final game of set two, when Shelton missed a short forehand, and the fifth game of the decider, when the former Florida Gator could not handle a dipping shot from Fritz at net.

Both players dominated on serve throughout the one-hour, 52-minute match, each winning close to 80 per cent of first-serve points. But Fritz’s ability to attack the Shelton second serve — and protect his own — made the difference. The fifth seed won 84 per cent of his second-serve points (26/31), while Shelton was under 50 per cent (16/34).

Balance of Power won by @Taylor_Fritz97 💪

Fritz lifts his #InAttack % in sets 2⃣ & 3⃣, Shelton’s ⬇️

Even more impressive in the 🌬️🌪️#InAttack shows the percentage of shots played in attack #TennisInsights | @atptour | @BNPPARIBASOPEN pic.twitter.com/5MEBrvazS1

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 12, 2023

The stadium crowd played its part in the match, too, with plenty of opportunities to support both players after some highlight-reel points. But the biggest cheers were reserved for SoCal native Fritz.

“It’s amazing,” he said of the atmosphere. “It’s such a great feeling coming back, walking onto the court and then walking back out after the match is over. It’s such an amazing feeling just to feel the crowd and be back home.”

Now on a seven-match winning streak in Indian Wells, Fritz will bid to extend his run against 30th seed Sebastian Baez or Aussie Rinky Hijikata in the third round. Like Shelton, Hijikata was also a college star, at North Carolina, before turning pro.

Shelton was seeking to match his biggest career win, a one-sided victory over then-World No 5 Casper Ruud last August at Cincinnati. The American officially turned pro soon after that event.

Andy Murray has become the marathon man of 2023, but on Saturday he got the job done quickly.

The former World No. 1 reached the third round of the BNP Paribas Open with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Moldovan Radu Albot after one hour and 42 minutes. It was the Scot’s first straight-sets victory of the year.

“I felt very nervous today. I’m not sure exactly why,” Murray said in his on-court interview. “Obviously I’ve played a lot of tennis coming in, maybe I saw it was an opportunity for me. Maybe wasn’t as well prepared. I’d gone over my strategy and everything with my team to play Carreno Busta and then found out late last night the change of opponent.”

Murray went from facing one player he had never taken on before in Pablo Carreno Busta (elbow injury) to another in Albot. The change did affect the success of the 35-year-old, who dominated on serve. He won 78 per cent of his service points and did not face a break point.

“We’d not played each other before, and maybe [I] thought it was a bit of an opportunity,” Murray said. “Had lots of break points again, wasn’t quite able to get them. It was quite tricky conditions at the beginning, very windy. But I did well in the end to get through.”

Albot, who was trying to claim his 100th tour-level win, battled hard to make the first set tricky. But when Murray broke for the opening set and let out a big roar, he took control.

Each man tried to outmanoeuvre the other in chess-like rallies. But Murray made just 18 unforced errors compared to 35 for Albot, which proved the difference.

Murray will next face another Briton in Jack Draper, who continued to make his mark on the 2023 BNP Paribas Open Saturday. The 21-year-old clinched a 6-4, 6-2 win against his countryman Daniel Evans to reach the third round on event debut in Indian Wells.

The 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals semi-finalist Draper converted four of 10 break points to seal victory against the 24th seed Evans in two hours on Stadium 5. With his second-round triumph, Draper backed up his scintillating opening display at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where he dropped just two games in moving past #NextGenATP Swiss Leandro Riedi on Thursday.

Saturday’s clash was the first tour-level meeting between Draper and Evans, who had defeated his younger countryman at a 2019 ATP Challenger Tour event in Nottingham. Evans had opportunities to forge a repeat of that result in the California desert, but Draper fended off 10 of 11 break points as he repeatedly repelled his more experienced opponent.

The lefty has proven his ability to go deep at ATP Masters 1000 level before — he reached the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Montreal last August. His next opponent, Murray, has long praised him.

“He doesn’t have huge weaknesses in his game. For a lot of guys his size that are lefties that I’ve played against in the past, maybe [they] don’t return that well. But he is a good returner for a big guy,” Murray told ATPTour.com of Draper last year. “The two most important fundamental shots in the game he does well. He serves well, returns well.

“For a big guy, he moves pretty well also and then from the back of the court, his backhand is a very solid shot. [He] rarely makes unforced errors on that side and then on the forehand, he plays with a lot of spin. When he’s got time he can finish points. He’s got a big forehand when he’s got time to load up on it and he’s a smart player as well and a good competitor. He’s got lots of things going for him.”

Fifth seeds Harri Heliovaara and Lloyd Glasspool continued their strong start to 2023 after surviving a minor scare to reach the second round of the BNP Paribas Open Saturday.

The Britsh duo, which began the year by winning the Adelaide 1 title and last week were finalists in Dubai, needed a match tie-break in their Indian Wells opener to take down Dutchmen Matwe Middelkoop and Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 3-6, 10-6.

After suffering a first-round exit last year in Indian Wells, fourth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic wasted no time Saturday in their opening match in the desert.

The Croatians, who won the ATP 250 in Auckland earlier this year, downed Casper Ruud and Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-3 in front of a packed Stadium 6. Mektic and Pavic won 26 of 31 first serve points and converted four of seven break points to earn a one hour, 10 minute victory.

Eyeing their fifth Masters 1000 crown this fortnight, Mektic and Pavic have collected 15 team titles since partnering in 2021. In the round of 16, they will meet Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who ousted American wild cards Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 7-5, 6-4.

John Isner and Jack Sock’s BNP Paribas Open title defence got off to the perfect start Friday when they clawed past third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-7(6), 7-5, 10-7.

The Americans have fond memories in Indian Wells as a team, triumphing in 2018 and again last season when they dropped just one set en route to the title. Back in California this week, they saved all three break points they faced to defeat the 2022 Roland Garros champions after two hours and two minutes.

“If I failed to serve it out at 9/6 and 9/7 and we went on to lose the match, that would be tough,” said Isner, who hit a scorching forehand winner on match point. “You want to win for the crowd, so there was a lot of pressure. That was one of the better forehands I have hit.”

Isner and Sock will next meet Kevin Krawietz and Fabrice Martin.

Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini defeated eighth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-7(1), 6-4, 10-3. The Italians will next face Austin Krajicek and Mackenzie McDonald after the Americans defeated Australian Open champions Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler 6-3, 6-1.

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus upset sixth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-4. They will next play Daniel Evans and John Peers.

Andrey Rublev has amassed quite a following in the desert since he first competed in qualifying at the 2016 BNP Paribas Open. On Friday night, the sixth seed used the support of a packed Stadium 3 crowd to defeat Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, storming back from a break down in the second set.

The opponents previously split a pair of three-setters over the past 12 months, with Lehecka winning last month in Doha.

“We had a tough match in Doha,” Rublev said after advancing to the Indian Wells third round. “He beat me and I wanted to see if I could take revenge. In the end I was able to win today, so I’m really happy.”

At the year’s first ATP Masters 1000, Rublev won the opening set without facing a break point but fell behind 0-2 in the second. He powered through the finish line from there, winning six straight games — including a 0/40 escape at 2-2 — with the crowd growing in volume with each point.

“The crowd, there are no words to describe how grateful I am,” Rublev reflected. “I’ve been coming here every year since 2016. I can feel [the support]. This is my first match. Compared to last year… I was playing during the day last year. I think it was a full stadium but it was 50/50 support. Today I played a 10 p.m. match after a rain delay and had huge support, so it’s unreal.”

Rublev will meet Ugo Humbert in the third round after the Frenchman’s 7-5, 6-4 win against 25th seed Denis Shapovalov.

Frances Tiafoe also opened his Indian Wells campaign with a straight-sets win on Friday night, moving past fellow American Marcos Giron 6-2, 6-2. Tiafoe won the first four and the final four games of the match and did not face a break point in the 65-minute win.

Seeded 14th, the US Open semi-finalist will meet Jason Kubler in the third round. Kubler led Grigor Dimitrov 2-6, 7-6(5), 3-0 when the Bulgarian retired with a right-knee injury.

Daniil Medvedev underlined his status as a hot favourite this week in the desert with a 6-4, 6-3 opening win against Brandon Nakashima on Friday night. The fifth seed entered the BNP Paribas Open as the ATP Tour’s most in-form player, winning three consecutive titles and 14 straight matches, and his winning streak — now at 15 — was never in jeopardy thanks to an assured performance against the San Diego native.

Nakashima gave his home crowd plenty to cheer about, firing big forehands and defending brilliantly at times, and even hitting a tweener that his opponent volleyed into the net in set two. But Medvedev had all the answers when he needed them, saving all six break points against him to secure the win in one hour, 26 minutes at the year’s first ATP Masters 1000.

“We had some good points,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “That’s probably the slowest hard court on the Tour. So many matches I see it’s like rallies, rallies, rallies, so we’re going to have some good points. There were some tough ones in the match, tough break-point saves. I’m happy that I managed to battle through.”

Medvedev won the opening set by breaking at love for 3-2, claiming the lone break point of the set, and he drove his advantage home with an instant break in set two. He then escaped 0/40 at 2-1 and 15/40 at 4-3 before wrapping up the win with his third break in seven chances.

“I feel like on such a court you cannot play your best tennis every point,” Medvedev added. “That’s why [there are] so many break points for everybody and so many opportunities. At the end of the day, you have to play your best… He also played great points so it was a good battle, especially more in the second set I would say.”

Medvedev will next face Ilya Ivashka, who moved past 28th seed Botic van de Zandschulp when the Dutchman retired while trailing 5-7, 2-3.

Earlier on Thursday in Indian Wells, Alexander Zverev made an equally smooth start to his Indian Wells campaign with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Pedro Cachin. From 4-3 in the opening set, the German won seven straight games to move to the brink of victory.

Zverev fired seven aces in the win and saved both break points he faced — one in each set. He converted on four of six break points to secure the victory in a tidy one hour, 17 minutes.

The German meets Emil Ruusuvuori next after the Finn’s 7-6(5), 6-2 win against 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut. Beyond that, he could face a fourth-round meeting with Medvedev if both men advance.