Former top 15 player Petra Martic rallied from a break down in the third set to upset last year’s US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 7-5 after 2 hours and 46 minutes in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Martic has reached the Round of 16 at Indian Wells for the second time in her career.
Martic, who is ranked world number 79, scored her 16th win over a top 20 player. The Croatian player had not won a match against a top 20 player in two-and-a-half years.
Raducanu rallied from an early break down in the third game and broke twice in the sixth and tenth games to win four consecutive games earning her chance to serve for the first set at 5-3, but Martic pulled back on serve in the ninth game to draw level to 5-5. Raducanu won the tie-break 7-3 with a passing shot.
Raducanu served for the match at 5-4 in the third set, but Martic won the final three games to seal the win.
Both players traded breaks twice in the second set. Martic opened up a 4-2 lead, but Raducanu broke back to draw level to 4-4. Martic saved a break point with a volley winner to hold serve for 5-4 and hit another volley to earn two set points in the tenth game. The Croatian player earned the break on her second set point to force the match to the decider.
Martic went up an early break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead, but Raducanu won five of the next seven games with two breaks to earn her chance to serve for the match at 5-4. Martic earned three break points in the 10th game after backhand errors from Raducanu. Martic converted her third chance after another backhand error by Raducanu.
Martic forced more errors from Raducanu at 6-5 and sealed the win with her break in the 12th game after a forehand long by Raducanu.
Martic set up a Round of 16 match against Liudmila Samsonova, who beat Danka Kovinic 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
Samsonova was able to convert only one of her twelve break points, but she never dropped her serve and saved the only break point she faced.
Samsonova, who won her first WTA title in Berlin last year, reached the Round of 16 at Indian Wells for the first time in her career.
Samsonova was not able to convert two set points at 5-3, but she served out the set with a love hold. In the 10th game with a forehand winner.
Both players went on serve with no breaks of serve in the second set en route to the tie-break. Samsonova won three consecutive points from 4-4 to seal the tie-break 7-4.
