There were mixed emotions for American wildcards in the early matches in the Indian Wells first round. Bjorn Fratangelo managed to score a sensational 6-2, 6-2 win over Bernard Tomic, whilst 6’11 Reilly Opelka suffered a disappointing 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 loss to qualifier Peter Gojowczyk. In a later match, Frances Tiafoe lost in straight sets to the Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3.
Fratangelo won a round in Indian Wells last year, defeating Teymuraz Gabashvili, but few would have predicted that he would manage to replicate that effort against Tomic.
Instead, the win was actually more convincing than his win last year, as Fratangelo lost just four games against the Australian. Tomic had lost in the first round of all his events since his third round exit to Dan Evans at the Australian Open, with the Memphis defeat against Darian King particularly damaging. He was also forced to retire against Donald Young in his last event.
Fratangelo dominated the first set, breaking twice and dropping just five points on his own serve, saving the one break point that Tomic created. The second set was closer, even if the score turned out the same as the first. Tomic was able to win fifteen points against the Fratangelo serve. However, it yielded just two break points, and Tomic failed to take either of them. In comparison, Fratangelo earned a respectable two breaks from four opportunities.
Fratangelo will now meet Tomas Berdych in the second round, whom he last met in the 2015 US Open, losing to the Czech in straight sets on that occasion. Berdych is in indifferent form however, so Fratangelo may fancy his chances.
Reilly Opelka could not make it two from two for Americans in the early matches, as the tall teenager went down to German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk.
Opelka suffered from a poor start, broken in the first game after conceding a number of errors. Gojowczyk, was broken in the second, with Opelka aided by three consecutive double-faults. The tall American then held to take the match to a decider.
A near mirror image happened in the third game, as from a comfortable position, consecutive double-faults put Gojowczyk in trouble. The German saved a break point to hold for 2-1, and he did not drop another game. Opelka helped his cause with his own pair of double-faults, and the American was broken again trailing 1-4 as Gojowczyk snuffed out any chance of a comeback, before serving out the win to fifteen.
It was Gojowczyk’s Masters 1000 main draw debut, and he will be delighted with the win, adding at least 25 ATP ranking points to the 16 he earned in qualifying.
Gojowczyk will next face Pablo Carreno Busta in the second round.
Dusan Lajovic got off to a fast start in his first round match with Frances Tuafoe. The Serbian won the first four games at a canter. Tiafoe retrieved one of the breaks to make the scoreline respectable, but could draw level. Tiafoe did at least start the second set well, breaking in the first game. Lajovic immediately won it back, and would break again for a surprising win given the form of the two players coming into this match.
In other Indian Wells news, Roger Federer is not looking any further than his second round meeting with either Stephane Robert or Dudi Sela, despite the focus on who he could meet in the third or fourth rounds.
https://www.ubitennis.net/blog/2017/03/09/roger-federer-taking-nothing-granted-ahead-indian-wells-test/
