Impressive Starts at ATP Indian Wells: Djokovic Overcomes Set Loss, Medvedev Soars

Celestial

posted on 4 months ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Novak Djokovic's return to the courts at Indian Wells saw him face an early challenge as he dropped a set but ultimately emerged victorious against Aleksandar Vukic. The Serbian world number one's successful comeback sets the stage for an intriguing journey at the Masters 1000 event. Meanwhile, last year's finalist Daniil Medvedev made a comfortable advance in the tournament with a clear-cut victory over Roberto Carballes Baena.

ATP - Indian Wells: Djokovic drops a set but makes successful return, Medvedev comfortable

Despite losing a set, Novak Djokovic made a successful start at Indian Wells. This marked his first match since the Australian Open and his first appearance in this Masters 1000 event since 2019. Last year's finalist, Daniil Medvedev, also advanced in the tournament.

It was a successful return for Novak Djokovic. On Saturday, the Serbian world number one and top seed, returning after his semifinal defeat at the Australian Open on January 26, dropped a set but managed to kick off his Indian Wells journey at the Masters 1000 event in the USA. He faced Australian Aleksandar Vukic, ranked 69th, and won in three sets (6-2, 5-7, 6-3) in 2 hours and 12 minutes. Vukic was broken early in the first set, losing another service game at 4-2, resulting in Djokovic clinching the set (6-2). In the second set, Djokovic was broken in the opening game. After a break back at 1-3, Djokovic then lost his final service game, allowing Vukic to level the match at one set each (7-5). In the third and final set, the world number one managed to break twice, at 2-2 and 5-3, to secure his place in the third round (6-3), marking his first appearance at this prestigious tournament since 2019. Djokovic will face Italian Luca Nardi, ranked 123rd and a lucky loser, in the next round.

Medvedev's smooth progress

Last year's finalist, Russian Daniil Medvedev, ranked 4th and seeded 4th, comfortably moved past the second round with a straight-sets victory against Spanish player Roberto Carballes Baena, ranked 64th (6-2, 6-3) in 1 hour and 24 minutes. Medvedev secured the first set with two breaks (6-2) and then broke twice in the second set, at the start and at 4-3, after losing his own service game at 4-2 (6-3). His next opponent will be American Sebastian Korda, ranked 29th and seeded 29th, who defeated Russian Roman Safiullin, ranked 42nd, in two sets (6-4, 6-2) in 1 hour and 11 minutes. Other players who successfully qualified for the next round include Norwegian Casper Ruud, ranked 9th, American Taylor Fritz, ranked 12th, American Tommy Paul, ranked 17th, Argentinian Sebastian Baez, ranked 19th, and Italian Lorenzo Musetti, ranked 26th.