Richard Gasquet negotiated the potentially difficult opponent of Nicolas Mahut in relatively straightforward fashion, as Gasquet earned progress to the third round of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event with a 6-4, 6-1 win.
Both Frenchman traded early breaks in the first set but Gasquet earned a second break of the Mahut serve, winning the first set. Mahut was in good form coming into Indian Wells, having reached the final of Rotterdam, but failed to replicate that form. Gasquet then eased through the second, breaking three times without reply from Mahut, sealing the win in an hour and nineteen minutes.
Alexandr Dolgopolov will be Gasquet’s opponent as the twenty-sixth seed beat Dutchman Robin Haase 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and ten minutes. Dolgopolov hit six aces and took advantage of seven double-faults from Haase to move to the meeting with Gasquet.
Canadian twelfth seed Milos Raonic also eased into the third round as he defeated Inigo Cervantes 6-1, 6-3. Cervantes had won a tight encounter with Nicolas Almagro in the first round, but could not cope with Raonic’s relentless ground-strokes winning fewer than 20% of his own second serve points. Raonic was broken once in the second but broke three times himself to more than redeem the loss of serve. Raonic will face the winner of Bernard Tomic and Rajeev Ram, two players who have met twice in recent weeks in Delray Beach and Acapulco, splitting the matches one apiece.
Federico Delbonis also reached the third round, as he scored a minor upset by defeating thirty-second seed Joao Sousa 7-6, 6-4. Delbonis edged a close first set before securing the only break in the second, dropping just three points on his own serve in the second set. Delbonis will likely face second seed Andy Murray, though Murray must defeat Marcel Granollers first if he is to meet Delbonis.
