Top-ranked Murray toppled by qualifier Pospisil
INDIAN WELLS: World No.1 Andy Murray crashed out of the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Saturday, sent spinning in straight sets by Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil.
Pospisil, ranked 129th in the world, triumphed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), sealing the biggest win of his career on his fourth match point to the delight a stadium court crowd won over by the underdog’s aggressive serve-and-volley style.
For Britain’s Murray, it was yet another disappointing performance in the California desert, where his best showing is a 2009 runner-up finish to Rafael Nadal.
Last year Murray was bundled out in the third round, but he was hoping for much better as he arrived fresh off his 45th career ATP title in Dubai.
“I don’t know exactly why it is, because in practice here normally I play pretty well,” Murray said. “And then some years I played well. Some years it just hasn’t quite happened for me. I don’t know exactly why that is.”
Murray was particularly disappointed to have dropped the first set after twice going up a break.
But he hurt his own cause with seven double-faults, part of a poor serving night that he said was key to the defeat.
Pospisil had never beaten Murray in four prior encounters. The 26-year-old, who defeated Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in the first round as Murray enjoyed a bye, notched his fourth career victory over a top-10 player and his first since 2014.
The Canadian, a Wimbledon doubles title winner with Jack Sock, was ranked as high as 25th in the world three years ago, but plummeted to as low as 135th in the world during a tumultuous 2016.
Late last year he began working with Australia’s Mark Woodforde — and he gave a shout-out to his new coach on court after wrapping up the biggest win of his career in one hour and 51 minutes.
In the women’s section, Venus Williams saved three match points as she roared back for a 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over old foe Jelena Jankovic on Saturday and a place in the third round.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion, her right arm bandaged and her serve speed down, surrendered the first set in just 20 minutes and was quickly down a break at 3-1 in the second.
“I definitely wasn’t able to do everything I wanted to,” she said. “Took me some time to kind of get my head around that.
“You have to get disciplined and just try to deal with what’s at hand and try to use the tools you have on this particular day,” said Williams, who did so with a vengeance.
She broke Jankovic twice to take a 5-4 lead in the second set before the Serb veteran, like Williams a former world No.1, broke in the 10th game to pull level at 5-5.
Serving to save the match, Williams was on the ropes in the 12th game but she saved three match points to force the decider.
Once she came through it, she ran away with the third, buoyed by an enthusiastic crowd.
“It ain’t over til it’s over,” she told her ecstatic fans of her determination to stick with it until the end. “And I didn’t see no fat lady singing.”
Williams next faces Czech Lucie Safarova, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 winner over American Coco Vandeweghe.
Safarova denied Vandeweghe a chance to avenge her semifinal loss to Williams at the Australian Open, where Williams fell in the championship match to her sister Serena.
Jankovic, meanwhile, could only regret her missed opportunities, especially her first match point that Williams saved with a volley winner.
“When she was at the net I was supposed to play that cross forehand but I played down the line and right to her and she made a winner,” Jankovic said. “I had everything under control and I just let it slip away.”
There was no such drama for second- seeded Angelique Kerber, who raced into the third round with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over fellow German Andrea Petkovic.
Kerber, who is assured of reclaiming the No.1 world ranking when the tournament ends thanks to Serena Williams’ injury withdrawal, reversed a run of poor fortune LONDON: Son Heung-Min’s hat trick fired Tottenham into the FA Cup semifinals, but his side’s 6-0 victory against Millwall was overshadowed by Harry Kane’s potentially serious ankle injury.
Kane limped off in the 10th minute at White Hart Lane after his ankle twisted awkwardly.
The England striker was sidelined with another ankle problem earlier this season and the injury is a major worry for Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.
England manager Gareth Southgate will also be concerned as he is due to name his squad for forthcoming fixtures against Germany and Lithuania.
Tottenham are looking to win the FA Cup for the first time since 1991 and close the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea, but those ambitions would be much harder to achieve in the California desert, where she had not made it out of her tournament opener since 2011.
“Of course, it was not so easy to play against her, we know each other very long,” Kerber said.
“I was trying today just to focus more without their leading scorer.
Despite Kane’s absence, Tottenham were too strong for third tier Millwall and they marked the last FA Cup tie at the Lane before the stadium is demolished, with a commanding quarterfinal display.
Christian Eriksen opened the scoring and Dele Alli and Vincent Janssen were also on target, but it was Son who took center-stage with his treble.
Tottenham will discover their opponent for next month’s Wembley semifinals on Monday, but news of Kane will be anticipated even more eagerly.
Given the notorious reputation of Millwall’s support, much of the prematch focus had been on the possibility of crowd trouble.
There was a tense atmosphere outside the stadium before kick off, but a huge police presence managed to contain the threat of serious violence despite bottle throwing and minor scuffles.
Inside, a large segregated area was used to keep Millwall and Tottenham fans apart, with a line of stewards wearing orange hard hats in case missiles were thrown.
Millwall arrived with a 17-match unbeaten run that included FA Cup upsets of Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester, but facing a team of Tottenham’s class was a different proposition altogether.
Dominating possession with ease, Pochettino’s side battered Millwall from start to finish as they cruised to a 16th win from 18 home games this season.
Kane’s injury came early, the England star’s ankle twisting badly after Jake Cooper slid into him.
After several minutes of treatment, Kane limped off to be replaced by Danish winger Eriksen. on my side of the tennis court. Just being focused on my game, because I think the last three years I lose here in the first round, so that was also something in my mind that I would like to change this year and just go through it.”
It was a big blow for Tottenham given Kane’s red hot form had brought him eight goals in his last four appearances and 24 for the season.
As Tottenham regrouped, Millwall striker Steve Morison curled wide from 20 yards in a rare moment of alarm for the hosts.
But Tottenham’s incessant pressure was rewarded in the 31st minute when Alli chested down a high clearance and Eriksen pounced to drill a low shot into the far corner from just inside the area.
Victor Wanyama powered a header against the crossbar as Tottenham pressed for the second goal, which arrived in spectacular fashion from Son in the 41st minute.
Picked out by Eriksen on the edge of the area, Son cut inside and curled a sublime shot past King.