In the wake of Sunday’s second-round victory over Kamil Majchrzak at the BNP Paribas Open, Taylor Fritz did not sound like a man who dropped all of two games in a scant 57 minutes.

“First match, a little bit of nerves, obviously, so it was good to kind of get through it safely,” the 24-year-old American told reporters afterward. “Some things I would like to work on tomorrow, do a bit better, but all in all like in a pretty good place with my game after that match.”

A year ago, regardless of the tournament, Fritz was just looking to win a match or two. Now, seeded No. 20 at Indian Wells and armed with the same ranking number among ATP Tour players, Fritz expects to go deep into draws. This confidence comes directly from the results he’s produced over the past six months, going back to – by a quirk of scheduling – the 2021 version of Indian Wells.

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Fritz, it seems, was born to succeed in the California desert. He was born and raised in nearby Rancho Santa Fe and spent many pleasant days wandering among the matches in this lovely tennis garden. Last fall, he reached the semi-finals of his first ATP Masters 1000, the first of his career. To do it, he had to beat two Top-10 players, Matteo Berrettini and Alexander Zverev, saving two match points against the German.

Two weeks later, Fritz was a finalist in St. Petersburg and a quarter-finalist at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris, falling there 4-6, 3-6 to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. He reached the round of 16 at this year’s Australian Open, a career best, extending Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets in a match that went nearly three hours and a half.

“For sure, I think just my level as a player has gone up,” Fritz said. “I think I’ve gone up several levels. I think I’m a way better player than I was when I was here last year, and I think I’ve improved a lot.

“So, yeah, I expect a lot more of myself. My goal is to move into the Top 10. So I definitely have a lot higher expectations.”

And the world will be watching. Fritz is one of the ATP players the Netflix crew has been shadowing in its upcoming tennis docuseries. One of his goals, he said, is to make tennis a “cooler” sport, one that will appear more often on ESPN’s iconic SportsCenter.

Fritz, who now faces Jaume Munar in the third round after the qualifier shocked No. 16 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, just needs to produce more results like the one over Majchrzak.

“Sounds very nit-picky because obviously the match, it was 6-1, 6-1 today, but I think there were some things I could have done a bit better,” he said. “So, tighten up some things tomorrow in practice but, yeah, confidence-wise, it’s great to start out with a match like this.”

Fritz finished the 2021 season as the No. 1-ranked American man. Two other former No. 1 Americans also won matches Sunday. No. 23 John Isner evened his career head-to-head with Sam Querrey at five-all with a 7-6(6), 7-6(3) second-round victory. Steve Johnson upset No. 22 seed Aslan Karatsev 7-6(5), 6-4.

Something in the Indian Wells air seems to inspire Tommy Paul.

The American produced a top-class performance to defeat World No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2) in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday, upping his level in the deciding-set tie-break to complete the biggest win of his career.

“I like playing here,” said Paul after the match. “I like the conditions. The fans really support [the American players] here, and that’s why we all love it. It feels like a real home tournament.”

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Paul reached the fourth round in California in 2021, beating then-World No. 5 Andrey Rublev on the way to his best run at an ATP Masters 1000 event, and he continues to look comfortable on the big stage at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

It’s also not the first time Paul has impressed against the top players on Tour. It was his fourth win over a Top 10 opponent, a tally that includes a straight-sets win in his only previous meeting with Zverev in Acapulco in 2020. The American hopes to reproduce such victories more regularly as he looks to push further up the ATP Rankings.

“I would hope that I can be in the Top 10,” said Paul. “That’s what it takes, you’ve got to beat more Top 10 players and I played well today, so I’m happy.”

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The 2021 Stockholm champion came racing out the blocks on Stadium 1, surging to the first set after breaking twice as his opponent struggled to settle.

The match looked to be going only one way as Zverev found himself 15/40 down in the fifth game of the second set, but the German’s biggest weapon inspired a mid-match comeback. He won 24 consecutive points on serve as he fended off those break points, took the second set and surged to a 4-2 lead in the decider.

That weapon soon became Zverev’s downfall, however. Having established a 4-2 lead in the third set, a pair of double faults gifted his opponent the break back. An absorbing encounter fittingly ended with a deciding tie-break, but it was Paul who elevated his game to roar to a 6/1 lead, sealing victory with his second match point to the delight of a raucous home crowd.

According to Infosys ATP Stats, Paul’s efficiency coming forward was key to his win. The American won 71 per cent (29/41) of points at the net, completing the win in two hours, 17 minutes.

“I never felt out of the match,” said Paul. “My gameplan in the tie-break was to play more aggressive than I did the whole match, and see if he comes up with the goods. When I come to the net, see if he comes up with big passing shots, and if he did that, then too good. That was my process.”

Paul’s third-round opponent will be Alex de Minaur, after the 29th seed came out on top in an all-Australian battle with John Millman.

De Minaur reached the fourth round in Indian Wells for the first time in 2021, and the 23-year-old gave himself a chance of matching that run with a solid display against his countryman. He broke Millman three times on his way to a 7-6(4), 6-3 win.

Matteo Berrettini has already created a slew of Italian firsts in tennis.

Back in January, when he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, he became the first player from Italy ever to make the quarter-finals in each of the four majors. A year ago, he was also the first Italian man to appear in the Wimbledon final.

One code Berrettini has been unable to crack? The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, where he has yet to advance past the third round. Believe it or not, before Sunday he had managed only a single victory (over Alejandro Tabilo) in three previous appearances here. Based on his 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 second-round win over committed qualifier Holger Rune, this might be the year he checks that box.

And when it was over, after a pair of unreturnable serves finally delivered him, Berrettini tapped his racquet appreciatively and scanned the four sides of the arena. And then he let out a deep sigh.

“It was definitely a tough match – I expected it,” Berrettini said in his on-court interview. “He’s improving every time I see him. He’s going to have a bright future.

“Today I think I was able to manage the strokes. I’m really happy, because I wasn’t feeling that comfortable in the court.”

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On Tuesday, the No. 6-ranked Berrettini will face South Africa’s Lloyd Harris, a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 winner over Facundo Bagnis.

The #NextGenATP Rune, still only 18, collected his first ATP Masters 1000 main draw victory in the first round over Ugo Humbert. The Dane, uncommonly agile and athletic even among professionals, is ranked a career-high No. 86 and is a former World No. 1 junior. A year ago, as a 17-year-old qualifier in Santiago, he became the first ATP Tour player born in 2003 to reach a quarter-final. He even took a second-set tie-break from World No. 1 Novak Djokovic after qualifying at last year’s US Open, his first major.

In the third set, Berrettini’s formidable forehand and serve began to open up some distance. With Rune serving at 1-all, he double-faulted to give Berrettini a break point. The Italian ripped a low, tight forehand and a charging Rune sent a backhand volley into the net. Perhaps sensing that lost moment as pivotal, Rune whacked the top of the net with his racquet on the way to his changeover chair.

That break held up the rest of the way in a match that saw Berrettini hit 27 winners – 14 of them aces and 12 from the forehand side.

“I like the courts, the atmosphere, it’s very nice,” said Berrettini when asked about his less-than-stellar record at Indian Wells. “For one reason or another, I got here half-injured or something always happened.

“I’m pretty old for tennis [25], but I didn’t play this tournament too many times. It takes time and sometimes a little bit of luck. Hopefully, this is going to be the good one.”

Carlos Sanches is a familiar face at tournaments around the world. The ATP Supervisor keeps things running behind the scenes while the on-court action headlines the show.

In January it was the turn of the Sanches’ hard work in the background to be recognised as he was named Tennis Personality of the Year at the Gala Do Desporto, considered the most prestigious sports awards in his homeland.

“Of course, I’m proud to get this award,” Sanches told ATPTour.com this week. “This is like a recognition of my career and [while] it was important to [me] personally, [it is] also important for officiating. It’s not about me, but the work.

“[It was a] special recognition to put my name on that award. Normally we [supervisors] don’t show up, we are behind the curtain, so it was something new.

“I had the support of the Portuguese Tennis Federation which was important, and it was thanks to them also because they knew my career and they wanted me to be selected for this award.”

Sanches enjoyed a brief change of scene at the glamourous ceremony, which is held annually and shown live on Portuguese television. “It was the first time I went to awards like this, and it was a nice experience seeing so many people,” he said. “It was packed, there were crowds, all important people around that were invited for different sports. It was a very good experience.”

Sanches started his career as a chair umpire before he became a tournament supervisor for the ATP Challenger Tour in 2001. In 2006 he moved onto the ATP Tour, where he has worked ever since.

All this experience means Sanches is well-placed to identify some basic principles for good officiating. “Always be fair, make the right judgements at the right time,” he said. “Be calm, try to have good communication with players and with the tournaments. Those are the qualities I think an official needs to have.”

Like everyone else on tour, Sanches is used to life on the road. In 2022 he has already worked in Adelaide, Cordoba, Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro, and he now looks forward to the European clay-court swing. The travel schedule can be tough, but he enjoys the variety the tour brings. “I think all [the places] have something special,” Sanches said, “And it’s [just] part of our job.”

WTA star Emma Raducanu is riding high following a memorable and historic past six months.

The 19-year-old became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title when she triumphed at the US Open in September, which saw her finish the 2021 season in the Top 20 of the WTA Rankings.

The Brit then earned her maiden win at an WTA 1000 event on Friday when she defeated Caroline Garcia at the BNP Paribas Open.

Ahead of her third-round match in Indian Wells on Sunday, Raducanu praised the inspirational role former Would No. 1 and fellow Brit Andy Murray has played in her development.

“He has been supportive for sure,” Raducanu said. “I know one time when I was just practising, I managed to hit with him. I was so nervous. I was moving my feet so fast just to try and keep up.

“I think he’s just such a great role model for me and everyone, from the UK, and also across the world. 700 wins is something I can just dream of. I think I’ve won three now, so I have a long way to go.”

Raducanu beat Garcia in three sets Friday, while former World No. 1 Murray became just the fourth active ATP player to earn 700 tour-level wins when he overcame Taro Daniel.

Raducanu followed Murray onto court on Stadium 1 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, allowing her to keep an eye on the 46-time tour-level titlist in action as he made more history.

“I think Andy is such a class player,” Raducanu said. “The way he can put the ball in places that you just don’t want. I think that’s a great skill to have.

“I definitely looked up to him today [Friday] especially because I was following him. I knew he came through some tricky moments. I was thinking the same when I dropped the second set. I was like, ‘You can do the same, just keep pushing’.”

In a stacked order of play on Sunday, Raducanu and Murray will face Petra Martic and Alexander Bublik respectively. Raducanu will be aiming to reach the fourth round at a WTA 1000 event for the first time, while Murray will look to continue to build momentum at a tournament he reached the final at in 2009.