Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and third seed Andy Murray both had to work much harder than expected to book their places in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday night.
Top seed Djokovic lost his bearings in the second set before beating Italy’s Fabio Fognini 6-0 5-7 6-2 while Murray had to dig himself out of an early hole on the way to a 5-7 6-2 6-2 win against Russian Evgeny Donskoy.
“It was definitely a difficult challenge today,” Serbian Djokovic said courtside after breaking the feisty Fognini in the fourth and eighth games of the third set to claim victory.
“Fabio played very well towards the end of the second set but it was all my fault,” said the world number one, who squandered one match point in the 10th game of that set before being broken in the 11th when he netted a forehand.
“I had a very bad game at 4-2, made a couple of unforced errors, got him back in the match. Next thing you know we’re one set all and a couple of tight games. I’m just happy to get through.”
Djokovic, who had stormed through the opening set in just 19 minutes, wrapped up his fourth win in four matches against Fognini when the 36th-ranked Italian netted a backhand.
The Serb will next meet Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, a 6-4 6-4 winner against Australia’s Matthew Ebden.
US Open champion Murray, showing signs of rust in his first tournament on the ATP circuit for six weeks, lost a wildly fluctuating opening set, where he trailed 1-5 at one point, before seizing control of the match.
In blazing desert sunshine at Indian Wells, the 25-year-old Scotsman broke Donskoy’s serve twice in the second set and also in the third before sealing victory after two hours 17 minutes when his opponent sent a backhand service return long.
“I’ve struggled here the past couple of years, I haven’t won a match,” said Murray.
“I was a little bit nervous in the beginning and he started very, very well... he came up with some unbelievable shots. I just tried to hang in there.”
American Mardy Fish made a triumphant return to the ATP Tour after being sidelined since last year’s US Open because of a heart condition, battling past compatriot Bobby Reynolds 6-3 3-6 6-4.
In the women’s draw, Maria Sharapova survived a tough battle with Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, winning 7-5 6-3 to book her place in the fourth round.
The Russian world number three, seeded second at the elite WTA event, broke the Spaniard twice in a closely contested first set that featured several lengthy baseline rallies and lasted almost an hour.
Sharapova then broke the Spaniard’s serve twice more in the second set, sealing victory in one hour 40 minutes when her opponent hit a forehand long.
Third seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was also given a tough workout, overcoming Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-7 6-3 6-4, but fifth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova advanced smoothly with a 6-2 7-6 win over Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.
Late news
• Twice champion Rafael Nadal was gifted a place in the last 16 of the BNP Paribas Open last night when Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer withdrew before their third-round match with a back injury. Nadal will next face either Italy’s Andreas Seppi or Latvian Ernests Gulbis.