Tomljanovic upsets Indian Wells champion Vesnina in Miami

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Wilson Blade 9

Still working her way back from long injury layoff, world No.594 Ajla Tomljanovic secured a place in the third round of the Miami Open with a 3-6 6-4 7-5 victory over fresh Indian Wells champion and seed No.13 Elena Vesnina.

One-time world No.47 Tomljanovic, who made her return just a month ago after more than a year on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, was serving for the match at 5-3 in the third set on Thursday when a thunderstorm pushed play to Friday.

On resumption, Vesnina saved two match points and broke Tomljanovic to decrease the deficit to 4-5. Tomljanovic then held to love to lead 6-5, while Vesnina put her on a fast track to victory by hitting three double faults and facing another match point. However, it was not over yet, as rain struck again! When play resumed, Tomljanovic used her opportunity and recorded her first Top 20 win since Stanford 2015.

In the second-round match, Vesnina committed 12 double faults, Tomljanovic 11! Also, Vesnina faced as many as 17 break points, saving 8 of them, while Tomljanovic was just a bit better, with 8 break points saved out of 16.

Sixth seed Garbine Muguruza, who trailed Christina McHale 6-0 3-2 when play was suspended on Thursday, saved a match point in the tiebreak and edged a 0-6 7-6(6) 6-4 victory. Third seed Simona Halep was pushed to three sets by Naomi Osaka, but advanced with a 6-4 2-6 6-3 win. (photos: Jimmie48)

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