Christopher O’Connell was the sole Australian winner at Indian Wells on the opening day of main draw action, earning his fourth win at ATP Masters 1000 level in a match not short of drama.
Having entered the main draw directly for the second time, the Australian jumped to a lead over Spain’s Roberto Carballés Baena before enduring some shoulder pain late in the second set.
"Personally, I've been struggling with a little bit of an issue for quite a long time now, and I've just been managing it," O’Connell told the six-strong Australian media contingent in the Californian desert.
"I felt it flare up early in the second set. It locked up a little bit."
By entering the code TFS2025 you will receive 15% off the RRP on all non-sale items at our online store www.racquetworld.com.au
With O’Connell content to get to his requested medical timeout, Baena took the second 6-0 to force a decider.
Having received treatment ahead of the third, O’Connell’s pain was eased; much to the displeasure of his Spanish opponent.
"The physio came out and freed it up and I felt good," O’Connell said.
"He was complaining that I was playing [mind] games, but that’s not me at all."
The fiery words from the Spaniard which came throughout the third set and boiled over post the handshake were largely in poor taste as O’Connell propelled to a 6-3 0-6 6-1 victory.
The win sets up a clash with former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini. It will be the third time the pair have met in six months with O’Connell yet to take a set off the Italian despite pushing him to three tiebreaks.
Earlier on day one, Aleksandar Vukic bowed out of the draw with a defeat to American wildcard Tristan Boyer.
Vukic, 28, had control early on against the rising American but appeared to lose an ounce of confidence as the match wore on.
Up a break in the deciding set, the Aussie’s backhand was unable to hold up under significant pressure, going down 6-4 2-6 6-7(4).
To conclude Aussie action on Wednesday, Jordan Thompson was expectedly below his best in his return to the tour against a tricky customer in Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
Playing his first event since suffering a foot injury during the Australian summer, Thompson fell 4-6 6-4 3-6.
Sports FX empowers professional athletes with tailored currency management solutions that help you maximise your earnings while competing globally. To see how it works head to www.sportsfx.com.au
Comments