Agency :
Petra Martic kept her composure in a seesaw battle with Emma Raducanu on Sunday to advance to the Round of 16 with a hard-fought 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5 win at Indian Wells.
Raducanu was outstanding in the first set tiebreak, spraying winners around the court, but her energy and service speed dipped in the second set as she appeared to struggle with some physical discomfort and Martic took advantage to level the contest. The 11th-seeded US Open champion Raducanu bounced back in the third and was serving for the match at 5-4 but the Croatian stepped up her defence to break the British teenager.
Raducanu sent a forehand long on match point to end the marathon, two-hour and 46-minute contest under sunny desert skies on Stadium One.
“I’m happy that I stayed calm when I was not playing so good,” Martic said in an on-court interview.
“I think the match was up and down from both sides. We both had some good periods and bad ones out here, so I’m happy I was able to let that go and just focus on the next point.”
