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.

Roger Federer retired from professional tennis in 2022, but he continues to make an impact on the world. The Swiss legend’s eponymous foundation recently released its annual report to summarise its work through 2022 to help improve quality early education.

Although fans will not see him on court competitively anymore, Federer is focused on continuing his critical off-court work.

“While I understand the concerns about adjusting to this new pace, I can assure you that I am doing well and relishing this new chapter in my life, I have been keeping very busy with getting my body healed and working on existing and new projects,” Federer wrote in a letter. “It goes without saying that my foundation will be at the forefront of my priorities. The Roger Federer Foundation, which I established with my parents in 2003, has grown to be much larger than we initially envisioned during my playing days. This year, the foundation will celebrate its 20th anniversary, and I still recall signing the founding document.”

This last year, has been another impactful year for the foundation. We continue to make strides across Southern Africa with early childhood education. Please see some of the highlights we have achieved until the end of 2022 since the start of the foundation⬇️ @rogerfedererfdn pic.twitter.com/eZeJIoqzuE

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) March 9, 2023

The Roger Federer Foundation through 2022 helped 2.4 million children benefit from higher quality early education, operating in seven countries with 29 partner organisations. There were 77.5 million Swiss francs invested to help improve education in Switzerland and Southern Africa.

More than 44,000 teachers improved their abilities thanks to training provided by the foundation and more than 12,000 educational institutions improved the quality of their curriculum.

“I never could have imagined how incredibly enlightening, exciting and fulfilling this journey would be, and all the great things we would accomplish together. By the end of the year, we have been able to provide over 2.4 million children with better access to early education, which I consider a tremendous anniversary gift,” Federer wrote. “I am eager to dedicate even more time to the foundation in the coming years, visiting more of the projects on-site, and delving deeper into effective philanthropy.

“I would be honoured if you would continue to join me on this journey as a philanthropist. Your support is invaluable and motivating, and together we can accomplish even greater things. I look forward to working with you and will always be grateful.”

The Roger Federer Foundation’s values include being impact oriented, empowerment, respect, entrepreneurship and partnership.

Arguably the most memorable match of the season came in the second round of the Australian Open, where after five hours and 45 minutes, Andy Murray rallied past home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis. The gruelling five-set encounter drew to a close at 4:05 a.m. in Melbourne, two hours from daybreak.

It would have been easy for Kokkinakis to fall into a slump after his defeat. The Australian let slip several leads against the former World No. 1 at his home Grand Slam, where he was pushing for a big run.

“Although it was a heartbreaking match to be honest and I had it in the bag a few times, as distraught as I was after the match, I actually really enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun out there,” Kokkinakis told ATPTour.com. “One of the only times I can say after a big loss, especially one where I was on the front foot the whole time, that I enjoyed it. Tennis is so results based that if you don’t win you’re just pissed and obviously I was pissed off, but I can look back at the summer I had and the level of tennis when I was playing at my best and try to take the positives away from that.”

Kokkinakis admitted he did not want to see a tennis racquet for a bit. But after a week, he was ready to put the Murray defeat behind him.

“I’ve gone through worse stuff than losing a tennis match from being in a winning position. In the scheme of things it hurts for a little bit, but I had a lot of good feedback, a lot of people came up to me,” Kokkinakis said. “Some idiots came up to me saying, ‘What happened?’ Not what I really wanted to talk about after, but for the most time it was encouraging signs.”

In the big picture, it has been a good start to the season for Kokkinakis. The week he was defending 250 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points at Adelaide-2, the Australian was down a break in the third set of his first-round match against Alexei Popyrin. Kokkinakis won the match and reached the final, recouping 150 of those points and later lifting an ATP Challenger Tour title in Manama, Bahrain.

“So far this year it’s taken a bloody good player to beat me, so I like to think my tennis is at a good spot,” Kokkinakis said. “I’ve just got to try and keep pushing. You’ve got to have short-term memory in tennis. There’s another chance every week almost, so you can’t dwell on things too much.”

Kokkinakis will not have to for his next match at the BNP Paribas Open, where he will face top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the second round. The Australian gushed about the 19-year-old Spaniard.

“It’s not just that he’s got no weaknesses, but he just plays with great energy. He plays tennis the right way. He’s always up and about, he’s always smiling,” Kokkinakis said. “I think the crowd loves watching him because his energy is almost contagious. He’s one of my favourite players to watch. Whenever he’s playing, I try to tune in if I’ve got time.”

The youngest World No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history has plenty of tools Kokkinakis will need to deal with on court.

“I just like the way he plays. He’s got good firepower, he’s lightning quick, he’s got good hands,” Kokkinakis said. “I saw it a few years ago just watching some highlights of him. It’s so hard to eclipse what those legends have done in our sports with how many Slams they’ve won, but he’s definitely capable and I think he’s got a shot if he stays healthy for sure.”

Fans who have followed Kokkinakis’ road through this BNP Paribas Open might have noticed a mid-tournament change for the Australian. He got a haircut. Actually, he got two.

“I butchered it this time around. I don’t know. I asked a few people, I’m looking at reviews,” Kokkinakis said. “The first place I went to had decent reviews, then I walked in there and I didn’t see anyone under around 65 years old. I thought it was too late to pull out so I just kind of copped it in the end.”

The product was not what the World No. 94 was looking for to repair what he said looked like a “tennis ball” head. One hour later, he found another barber.

“I went to a guy who apparently had a court date later that day, so that filled me with a lot of confidence to be honest because I knew he had probably cut hair somewhere along the line,” Kokkinakis said. “I didn’t judge and he did a good cut, so I’m happy with the result.”

Now Kokkinakis can fully focus on his next opponent. Although he is full of praise for Alcaraz, the Aussie’s game packs a punch, too.

“I know my game, when it’s at my best, is capable of beating a lot of guys,” Kokkinakis said. “But I also know that consistency is the thing I struggle with, so I’m hoping to match up with the best players this year and hopefully knock a few off and see how well I can do and push far this year.”

Australian Jordan Thompson held his nerve Friday afternoon to score a major upset at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

The 28-year-old defeated second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(0), 4-6, 7-6(5) in the second round of the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event. The early exit for Tsitsipas ended the Greek’s chances of rising to World No. 1 across the ‘Sunshine Double’ events in Indian Wells and Miami.

“It’s unreal. At a Masters 1000, in the [Indian Wells] Tennis Garden here,” Thompson said. “It’s one of my favourite tournaments, I think a lot of players’ favourite tournaments to play. To have a win like that is incredible. [I’m] really happy.”

It was a second Top 10 win for the World No. 87 Thompson, who had lost both of his previous meetings against Tsitsipas (‘19 Washington, D.C., ‘22 Wimbledon).

The Australian dropped just two points on serve en route to the opening set in California, where Tsitsipas struggled to find his best level in the early stages. Although the Greek rallied to level the match and earned a mini-break on the first point of the deciding-set tie-break, it was Thompson who held his nerve for a stunning two-hour, 37-minute victory.

“I wanted to take control of my service points,” said the 28-year-old. “Obviously, I can’t do much about his, he’s a big guy and he’s got a great serve. I wasn’t finding too much rhythm there on return towards the end but snuck one out. I stayed aggressive on serve and very thankful that last ball went wide.”

Thompson, who defeated Gael Monfils in straight sets in his opening match, is now into the third round in Indian Wells for the first time. His opponent there will be 32nd seed Maxime Cressy or qualifier Alejandro Tabilo.

“I haven’t even actually looked forward [in the draw],” Thompson said. “I just saw my match today. I had a tough one in the first round as well, strange match with Monfils coming back [from injury]. It’s been a tricky draw but I haven’t actually looked forward.”

Are the desert conditions what Casper Ruud needs to ignite his 2023 season?

The Norwegian delivered a clinical opening performance to dispatch Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-3 on Friday at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. After a modest run of results by his high standards across January’s Australian swing and in Acapulco last week, Ruud appeared to enjoy the slower conditions in southern California. With plenty of time to settle behind his huge forehand, the third seed powered 19 winners past Schwartzman en route to an 88-minute victory.

“I’m very happy with today’s win,” said Ruud after reducing his ATP Head2Head series deficit against Schwartzman to 4-5. “Straight sets, and 6-2, 6-3 might look comfortable, but it never is against Diego. You really have to play well. That’s what I did today.

“He could have played better, I could have probably played better as well, but today I played good enough and happy to get through in two straight sets against a player I’ve struggled with in the past.”

That’s a sweet passing shot, @CasperRuud98 🤩@BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/wFVDebAVuX

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 10, 2023

The four-time ATP Tour titlist Schwartzman had also arrived at the ATP Masters 1000 event seeking a deep run to kick-start his year after early-season struggles. The Argentine dropped just three games in his first-round win against Federico Coria, but World No. 4 Ruud proved too powerful as he converted three of five break points to secure his fourth win against Schwartzman in the pair’s past five tour-level meetings.

“I feel a little bit better physically [than in Australia],” said Ruud, when asked about the effects of a training block he undertook for much of February. “In Acapulco [last week] I was struggling a little bit with the humidity, it was tough for me to feel great out there on court, but here it is a different climate. It’s dryer and feels easier for me to move around.

“I feel like you do a training block for four or five weeks and you might not get the exact result you want right away. It might take a week, it might take a month, before you feel physically fresh and ready. I think I’m starting to get there. Mentally as well, I tried to be very focused today and not focus too much on his game. I focused on my game and what I needed to do and I did that well.”

Ruud is now 4-4 for the year and will look to build on Friday’s win in a third-round clash against qualifier Cristian Garin, who raced to a 6-4, 6-0 triumph against 29th seed Yoshihito Nishioka.

Getting his tournament off with a bang 💥@CasperRuud98 starting with a 9.1 #ShotQuality on the forehand

Ruuds 52-week average is an impressive 8.5, even better today!

Plays the qualifier Garin who beat Nishioka #TennisInsights | @atptour | @BNPPARIBASOPEN pic.twitter.com/JK5rJkOS2O

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 10, 2023

Cameron Norrie also advanced to the third round in convincing fashion with a 6-2, 6-4 win against qualifier Wu Tung-Lin. The Briton, who claimed the biggest title of his career in Indian Wells in 2021, converted four of eight break points en route to a 73-minute victory that ended the dream run of World No. 175 Wu.

The win drew Norrie level with Daniil Medvedev on a Tour-leading 19 wins for 2023, although Medvedev can move back ahead if he can defeat Brandon Nakashima in his second-round match later on Friday. The 27-year-old Norrie now has a 10-3 career record in Indian Wells, where he will face 20th seed Matteo Berrettini or qualifier Taro Daniel for a spot in the fourth round.

A very clinical performance in attack from @cam_norrie 👊 @BNPPARIBASOPEN

He moves on to face the winner of Berrettini vs Daniel#ConversionScore calculates the percentage of points won when the player has been #InAttack#TennisInsights | @atptour | @the_LTA pic.twitter.com/Xc3S2mHs2E

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 10, 2023

Australian Max Purcell went on a three-week trip to India in February with two things in mind: winning ATP Challenger Tour matches and spending less time on his cell phone.

The 24-year-old then went on a 15-match winning streak, triumphing at the Chennai, Bengaluru, and Pune Challengers. While he was enjoying a hot streak that helped him make his Top 100 debut, his phone was left cold in the hotel room.

“I made the choice to stop with distractions off court,” Purcell told ATPTour.com. “Especially through India, I wanted to be off my phone as much as I could. I wanted to make sure I was getting as much quiet time as I could and just make sure going into my matches that I didn’t bring anything else on the court.

“No extra emotions or anything like that. I just wanted to be as calm as I could and focus on my mission. That seemed to work out really well.”

Purcell came to that decision on his own this offseason, following a gruelling schedule in 2022 that saw him constantly managing singles and doubles.

“Even when I was trying to get downtime last year, I would still find myself talking with friends over FaceTime, it would just eat into my day and eat into my energy,” Purcell said. “If I was going to go out to dinner with more tennis guys, again it was the same thing. I was trying to limit that as much as I could in India. I was like, ‘I’m going to get off my phone, stay in, and relax.’”

Purcell is the 14th player to claim three consecutive Challenger titles and the first since Ben Shelton last season (Charlottesville, Knoxville, Champaign). The Sydney native is the only Australian to achieve the feat in Challenger history (since 1978).

Max Purcell is crowned champion at the 2023 Bengaluru Challenger. Credit: Bengaluru Open

The swing didn’t start so positively, though. Purcell suffered food poisoning leading into the Chennai Challenger and was confined to his hotel room for several days.

“The first one was a pretty big surprise because I was pretty underdone coming into the tournament. The three days leading into the event, I didn’t practise because of food poisoning,” Purcell said. “I landed Wednesday afternoon and then by Thursday evening I was projectile vomiting. I didn’t expect too much. And by the end of the week I was so tired. I was stoked to have won that.

“The second week [Bengaluru], I slipped through a couple of three setters early. And from then on, I was like, ‘I kind of feel unbeatable at this point!’ The last week [Pune], I lost the first set [in the first round], just felt like I was getting used to the conditions and [Mukund Sasikumar] played pretty well that set. Finished that set, then I felt like I cruised on for the rest of the tournament. So I just got better and better as the tournaments went on, more confident.”

Purcell was No. 203 just three weeks ago, but after his Indian hat-trick he is now at a career-high 95 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Cracking the Top 100 is something that the Aussie said he was hoping to achieve before turning 25. The five-time Challenger Tour titlist celebrates his 25th birthday next month.

Purcell’s slice-and-dice brand of tennis isn’t something you see on Tour every day. In 2022, Andy Murray praised the Aussie after rallying from a set down to defeat him in Newport. Post match, Murray stated that Purcell carries, “A very different game style, using a lot of slice off of both sides”.

Purcell takes pride in his style of play.

“I don’t see anyone hitting slice forehands like I do,” Purcell said. “I don’t think there’s a single person, so I think that’s pretty unique. I grew up in Sydney, we had a lot of synthetic grass courts so I used my slice a lot when I was younger. I knew I could always hit forehand slices but I was always told by coaches that it wasn’t effective.

“Last year, I was coachless for a while so I was like ‘Screw it’, I don’t care what coaches think, I’m just going to start doing it. Been going with that and using it for a good changeup.

“I played Andy in Newport, I don’t know how he was feeling but physically I wasn’t playing great after flying straight from Wimbledon. The guy has been No. 1 in the world and I had him 6-1, 2-0 and I don’t think I hit a topspin forehand. I think that shows it can be somewhat effective. I just have a little bit of extra feel out there. I don’t think you see many singles guys volleying as well as I do, from all the doubles.”

The week prior to Newport, Purcell was coming off a dream run at Wimbledon, where he partnered countryman Matthew Ebden to win their maiden Grand Slam doubles title. Five of their six matches went the distance, including their final victory against Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.

“Five matches were five sets. Eight match points saved,” Purcell said. “Three match points saved in a row in the first round. I was looking at my girlfriend and another friend when we were down those three match points and I just remember looking at them like, ‘Well this is going to be a short trip.’

“Every match we were losing and I was like, ‘Alright we’re going to get out of here tonight.’ But it just turned into us winning the tournament. It was the most weird ending. Weird run the whole way. We never looked like winning it until the super tie-break in the final. It was nuts. It just shows that tennis is such a stupid sport with results with how anything can happen all the time.”

Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden celebrate winning the 2022 Wimbledon doubles title. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Despite his great doubles success, Purcell said his focus is solely on playing singles but still hopes to play both at the Grand Slams.

“Last year I burned myself out,” Purcell said. “I can’t play two separate schedules. I did seven-and-a-half months at a tournament every single week last year. I still feel like I’m getting over that mentally and physically.”

Now enjoying precious downtime at home, Purcell will next be in action at the Las Franquesas Del Valles and Lille Challengers.

The crowd was behind Jack Sock during his win Thursday evening against Gregoire Barrere at the BNP Paribas Open. The fans included a special guest: NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes.

Sock and Mahomes first met at the barber shop in Kansas City after the latter was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. Sock, a massive fan of the team who was at this year’s Super Bowl, was thrilled to have Mahomes in the crowd at Indian Wells, where the quarterback also watched the action Wednesday.

“I’m definitely the one usually watching the TV or in person watching him, so it’s beyond special. I had a message from him right after, so that was special as well,” Sock told ATPTour.com. “We’ve gotten to know each other over the past few years when I was in Kansas City before I moved to North Carolina. I got to know him and we were able to play golf a few times. Just an awesome dude.

“For the position he’s in, the legacy he’s building and everything, he’s just the most normal, down-to-earth guy. It’s definitely special to have him out here.”

Super Bowl MVP tour ✈️
🎢 Disneyland
🌴 Indian Wells#TennisParadise | @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/RuOyMNTdkb

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 8, 2023

Sock first met Chiefs star Travis Kelce socialising in Kansas City. His friendship with the tight end helped him meet other members of the team. He still remembers meeting Mahomes at the barber shop.

“Right after he got drafted, most people didn’t know a tonne about him. He wasn’t Super Bowl MVP, all that, champ. I don’t even know if he had even been at practices at that point,” Sock said. “It was literally right after he got drafted. It was kind of cool to know him then and obviously just following and being a huge fan and a friend the whole way, it’s just so cool. He’s hopefully on pace, God-willing, to maybe be the GOAT one day. We’ll see, he’s killing it for sure.”

Indian Wells is known not just for its tennis, but also its golf courses. Who would win if they hit the links again?

“We both hit it a mile, so it’s probably whoever’s driving it that day,” Sock said, cracking a laugh. “It’d probably be a pretty good match, honestly!”

For now, Sock will continue to focus on the BNP Paribas Open, where he ousted Barrere 6-4, 6-2 to set a clash with 27th seed Francisco Cerundolo.

“He’s very, very tricky,” Sock said of Barrere. “The conditions were tough, obviously very cold, the ball wasn’t really going too far. Cold and slow, a little bit of wind at times.

“He has been playing really, really well the past six, eight months. Definitely happy with the win and going to look forward to the doubles with my guy John and the next singles.”