California [UK], March 10 : Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic made his return to California, surviving a scare against world number 69 Aleksandar Vukic during the ongoing Indian Wells Open on Sunday.
Djokovic was taken the distance by the Australian and had to grind it out for two hours and 10 minutes to secure a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory, playing for the first time since his loss to Jannik Sinner in Australian Open semifinal earlier in January.
Djokovic also made his return to Indian Wells after 2019.
"Five years is quite a long time for a professional tennis player but at the same time playing here the last time in 2019 felt like yesterday," Djokovic said as quoted by ATP.
"I connected with the crowd and everyone I have not seen in five years very quickly. A lot of people come to practice sessions, not just mine. It is amazing to see that much passion and respect and appreciation for tennis and tennis players. It is awesome to be in Tennis Paradise," he added.
A 40-time ATP Masters 1000 level title winner, Djokovic notched his 400th win at this level of tennis, becoming only the second player to do so besides Spanish legend Rafael Nadal (406 wins). Djokovic's next challenger will be Italy's Luca Nardi, who beat China's Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Cameron Norrie also advanced to round three, eliminating Lorenzo Sonego in the second round after a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
The 2021 Indian Wells champion secured the win in 90 minutes and levelled his head-to-head record against Lorenzo at 1-1.
Another former Indian Wells winner, Taylor Fritz, also kickstarted the campaign, defeating Chile's Alejandro Tabilo 7-6(2), 6-2 in straight sets. Fritz smashed 24 winners, including 14 aces and won 45 of his 53 service points.
US's Coco Gauff was made to sweat hard during her first match on home soil since her US Open title win last year. After losing the first set, she trailed in the decider set, but fought her way to the third round to secure a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) win over France's Clara Burel.
Gauff's third-round opponent will be Lucia Bronzetti, who beat number 32 seed Anhelina Kalinina by 6-4, 6-4 in an upset, as per WTA.
Also, the world number two Aryna Sabalenka beat world number 64 Peyton Stearns by 6-7(2), 6-2, 7-6(6) in a two-hour 53-minute affair to move to round three of the tournament. Her third-round match will be against the 2021 US Champion Emma Raducanu, who won her game against Dayana Yastremska after the latter retired during the game due to illness.
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