Unseeded Australian Jordan Thompson achieved one of the biggest wins of his career on Friday, upsetting third‑ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas 7‑6 (7‑0), 4‑6, 7‑6 (7‑5) to reach the third round of the Indian Wells Masters. “It’s unreal at a Masters 1000 … to have a win like that is incredible,” said Thompson, the world No. 87, whose only previous victory over a top‑10 player came in 2017 against Andy Murray at Queen’s Club. He felt a touch of luck when a forehand from Tsitsipas on match point was ruled a hair wide. “I’m thankful that last ball was out — I thought it was in,” Thompson told the crowd. Although Tsitsipas led the third‑set tiebreak 2‑1 and 4‑3, Thompson’s composure paid off when Tsitsipas hit a forehand into the net, giving the Australian a match point before the final point slipped away.
Thompson’s next opponent is Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo, who survived a tight win over American Maxime Cressy, 7‑6 (7‑3), 7‑6 (15‑13). For Tsitsipas, the loss follows a brilliant run to the Australian Open final in January, where he fell to Novak Djokovic. He soon after suffered a shoulder injury and, playing his first tournament since a second‑round exit in Rotterdam, admitted his shoulder was still troubling him and he had modest expectations for a third Masters 1000 title.
The second‑seeded women’s draw featured Tsitsipas’s counterpart, Aryna Sabalenka, who was playing only her second tournament since winning the Australian Open. Sabalenka advanced smoothly to the third round with a 6‑2, 6‑0 victory over Evgeniya Rodina, who was in her eighth match since returning to competition at last year’s US Open after a three‑year hiatus. “Happy to win this match in two sets without struggling too much,” Sabalenka said, noting she has never progressed beyond the round of 16 in the California desert. Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she remains barred from competing under the Belarusian flag. Her next opponent will be Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, who defeated 29th‑seeded Croatian Donna Vekic 2‑6, 6‑2, 6‑2.
In other women’s action, former runner‑up Maria Sakkari rescued Greek pride with a gritty 2‑6, 6‑4, 6‑0 win over American Shelby Rogers. After rain halted play for about 90 minutes with Sakkari trailing 1‑4, she turned the match around in the second set, fending off five break points despite three double faults to hold serve in the fifth game and then breaking Rogers to take the set. Rogers, who had won all three of their previous meetings, fell behind 3‑0 in the third after receiving treatment for a right‑calf issue, and Sakkari pressed on to seal the victory.
On the men’s side, fifth‑seeded Daniil Medvedev continued his hot streak—following three straight ATP titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai—with a 6‑4, 6‑3 win over American Brandon Nakashima. Medvedev faced no break points in the first set but had to fend off several in the second before breaking Nakashima’s serve for the third time. “There were some tough moments in the match, tough break‑point saves; I’m happy that I managed to make it through,” he said. “In the second set I could have returned better a few times to make my life easier, but he also played some great points.”
Third‑seeded Casper Ruud, former champion Cameron Norrie and 12th‑seed Alexander Zverev all eased into the third round with straight‑set victories. Ruud beat former top‑10 Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6‑2, 6‑3, a confidence‑boosting win after a season in which he had not progressed past the second round of three tour‑level events. Norrie dispatched Taiwanese qualifier Wu Tung‑lin 6‑2, 6‑4, extending the form that took him to finals in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro last month, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the former and beat him in the latter. Germany’s Zverev, rebuilding his career after ankle‑ligament surgery at the French Open, breezed past Argentina’s Pedro Cachin 6‑3, 6‑1.
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