Casper Ruud among players to watch as Britons advance at Indian Wells
Casper Ruud appears on a busy Indian Wells card after a run of poor results, while Britons Sonay Kartal and Jacob Fearnley both advanced with straight-set wins to reach the second round.
Britons Kartal and Fearnley into second round
Sonay Kartal, ranked 54th in the world, edged Thailand's Lanlana Tararudee 6-4, 6-4 to move into the second round. Kartal battled back from a 4-2 deficit in both sets and closed out the victory in one hour and 48 minutes; she will next meet American 20th seed Emma Navarro.
Jacob Fearnley recorded a 6-3, 6-3 win over Damir Dzumhur to reach round two, his first main-draw victory since October. The British men's number three faces 2021 Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz in the next match — their meeting will be the first between the two.
Casper Ruud seeks rhythm against Shevchenko
New father Casper Ruud, seeded 13th, arrives at Indian Wells having lost his last two matches, including a surprise defeat to qualifier Yibing Wu in Acapulco. Ruud is scheduled to play Alexander Shevchenko, who advanced after a three-set win over Sho Shimabukuro; Ruud leads their head-to-head 1-0 following a straight-sets victory in Bastad three years ago.
Other headline matchups and notable openings
Daniil Medvedev, fresh off his second title of the season in Dubai and a two-time finalist at Indian Wells, begins his campaign with a first meeting against Alejandro Tabilo, who advanced with a dominant win over Rafael Jodar. Former champion Taylor Fritz returns to action as the seventh seed and will test Fearnley in round two. Meanwhile, American qualifier Kayla Day beat Francesca Jones 6-3, 6-1 and is set to meet Poland's world number two Iga Swiatek.
There were also high-profile early exits: seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams lost 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1 to Diane Parry. Williams, 45, was ranked 554th and has not won since beating Peyton Stearns at the Washington Open last July; Parry will now face American 15th seed Madison Keys in the second round.
Emma Raducanu is due to begin her tournament on Friday when she faces Anastasia Zakharova in the second round.
Round-two matchups now confirmed include Fearnley vs Taylor Fritz and Kartal vs Emma Navarro, while Casper Ruud will meet Alexander Shevchenko as he looks to steady his form after recent losses. Medvedev's match against Alejandro Tabilo and Kayla Day's tie with Iga Swiatek are also on the slate for the next stage of the tournament.
