{"id":69685,"date":"2024-03-10T17:36:06","date_gmt":"2024-03-10T17:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/djokovic-claws-out-win-in-return-to-indian-wells-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-03-10T17:36:06","modified_gmt":"2024-03-10T17:36:06","slug":"djokovic-claws-out-win-in-return-to-indian-wells-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/djokovic-claws-out-win-in-return-to-indian-wells-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Djokovic claws out win in return to Indian Wells | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\nINDIAN WELLS:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Novak Djokovic struggled to a winning comeback at the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters five years after his last appearance, defeating Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Saturday.<\/p>\n

World number one Djokovic, who had not played since losing an Australian Open semi-final to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in January, is chasing a sixth title at the desert venue in the season’s first Masters event.<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old Serb captured the 400th Masters-level victory of his career, joining Rafael Nadal<\/a> as the only men to reach the 400 milestone at the elite level.<\/p>\n

The 24-time Grand Slam champion has won his last 11 Masters matches, collecting titles last season in Cincinnati and Paris Bercy.<\/p>\n

Djokovic wasn’t the only top player to be tested.<\/p>\n

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka saved four match points on the way to her 6-7 (2\/7), 6-2, 7-6 (8\/6) second-round victory over 64th-ranked Peyton Stearns, and US Open champion Coco Gauff rallied in the final set to beat France’s Clara Burel 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7\/4).<\/p>\n

Djokovic<\/a> admitted to some nerves in his first match since Melbourne. He claimed the opening set in 35 minutes with two service breaks but had to come from a break down in the third against his 69th-ranked Australian opponent.<\/p>\n

Vukic held for 6-5 in the second set and landed a reflex service return winner on the line to square the match at a set each.<\/p>\n

In the third, top seed Djokovic broke for a 3-2 edge and closed out victory with a second break after just over two hours, notching his 51st win at the tournament where he first competed in 2006.<\/p>\n

“I was a bit nervous at the beginning, you know, whether I’m going to start off well,” Djokovic said. “I had not played a match in more than five weeks.<\/p>\n

“He made me produce some really important points in games in order to prevail. “I’m glad that I was pushed, which is important.”<\/p>\n

Women’s world number two Sabalenka had an even tougher time against Stearns. After saving four match points she needed four of her own and rolled an ankle along the way.<\/p>\n

“This match definitely goes into the book of craziest and the best matches of my career,” she said.<\/p>\n

“She played incredible tennis. I kept telling myself, ‘Stay there, fight for every point. You never know what’s going to happen.<\/p>\n

“This is the match for crazy comebacks – and I did it,” added Sabalenka, who next faces Emma Raducanu who advanced when Dayana Yastremska retired while trailing 4-0 because of illness.<\/p>\n

Third seeded Gauff, who turns 20 next Wednesday, trailed her 47th-ranked French opponent 4-0 and 5-2 in the deciding third set, but was able to power back and throw it into a tie-breaker.<\/p>\n

She paved the way by breaking Burel to love as the Frenchwoman served for victory leading 5-4.<\/p>\n

In the tie-breaker, Gauff advanced on her third match point as Burel swung wide.<\/p>\n

“I’m happy with the mental fight,” Gauff said. “It was not my best tennis… but it’s how you show up on your worst days, not your best ones, that counts.”<\/p>\n

In other women’s action, former number one Naomi Osaka continued her comeback after a maternity break with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Liudmila Samsonova.<\/p>\n

“I was more confident today with the set point and trusting myself and knowing that no matter what happens, go for my shots,” Osaka said.<\/p>\n

Fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula was knocked out 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 by Anna Blinkova, who took revenge for a loss to the American at the start of the month in San Diego.<\/p>\n

Men’s fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, last year’s runner-up and holder of six Masters titles, cruised through his opener against Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-3.<\/p>\n

A blinking light high up in the stadium interrupted the match late in the second set, but it wasn’t enough to put Medvedev off his winning stride.<\/p>\n

Seventh seed Holger Rune earned a free ride into the third round when former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic of Canada pulled out of their match with an injury.<\/p>\n

US 12th seed Taylor Fritz, the 2022 champion, dispatched Alejandro Tabilo of Chile 7-6 (7\/2), 6-2 in 73 minutes, pumping out 14 aces among his 27 winners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INDIAN WELLS: Novak Djokovic struggled to a winning comeback at the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters five years after his last appearance, defeating Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Saturday. World number one Djokovic, who had not played since losing an Australian Open semi-final to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in January, is chasing a sixth title […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-10-at-3-27-02-PM-(1)1710066508-0\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-10-at-3-27-02-PM-(1)1710066508-0.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t