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Heather Watson falls to Angelique Kerber in Miami Open despite fightback Heather Watson falls to Angelique Kerber in Miami Open despite fightback
(about 1 hour later)
Heather Watson’s challenge at the Miami Open ended in the second round as Angelique Kerber won their rain-affected clash. The German had edged the first set 7-5 on Friday though a rain interruption meant play was suspended and then abandoned for the day. Watson came out fighting on Saturday and pushed the match to three sets, but was unable to keep pace with the world No15, who triumphed 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in two and a half hours.Heather Watson’s challenge at the Miami Open ended in the second round as Angelique Kerber won their rain-affected clash. The German had edged the first set 7-5 on Friday though a rain interruption meant play was suspended and then abandoned for the day. Watson came out fighting on Saturday and pushed the match to three sets, but was unable to keep pace with the world No15, who triumphed 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in two and a half hours.
Watson had pushed Kerber all the way to three sets in their only previous meeting – at Wimbledon in 2014, when the Briton lost in the second round. Keen to take her revenge, Watson again fought a tight battle. On Friday she broke Kerber’s serve twice in the first set, led 5-3 and had two set points before losing four games in a row.Watson had pushed Kerber all the way to three sets in their only previous meeting – at Wimbledon in 2014, when the Briton lost in the second round. Keen to take her revenge, Watson again fought a tight battle. On Friday she broke Kerber’s serve twice in the first set, led 5-3 and had two set points before losing four games in a row.
Watson restarted brightly on Saturday, breaking Kerber early on to take a 2-0 lead and just about kept Kerber at bay for the rest of the second set.Watson restarted brightly on Saturday, breaking Kerber early on to take a 2-0 lead and just about kept Kerber at bay for the rest of the second set.
Watson stuttered on her serve on occasion but showed enough resolve at the receiving end to break Kerber three times and level the match by taking the set 6-3.Watson stuttered on her serve on occasion but showed enough resolve at the receiving end to break Kerber three times and level the match by taking the set 6-3.
Watson, the world No41, had already endured a three-set match earlier in the week to reach the second round, and was once again pushing the two-hour mark when Kerber took a 2-0 lead at the start of the third. The strain was clearly showing as Kerber cruised to a 5-1 lead, and though Watson began a great comeback to bring it back to 5-4, the German had the final word and sealed the match on the Watson serve. Kerber now faces Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round after she beat Alison Riske 6-2, 6-2.Watson, the world No41, had already endured a three-set match earlier in the week to reach the second round, and was once again pushing the two-hour mark when Kerber took a 2-0 lead at the start of the third. The strain was clearly showing as Kerber cruised to a 5-1 lead, and though Watson began a great comeback to bring it back to 5-4, the German had the final word and sealed the match on the Watson serve. Kerber now faces Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round after she beat Alison Riske 6-2, 6-2.
Eugenie Bouchard, a Wimbledon finalist last year, was upset in her opening match by the qualifier Tatjana Maria 6-0, 7-6. Bouchard, seeded No6, won fewer than half her service points against the German player ranked 113, had five double faults and was broken five times.
In the opening stadium match, Caroline Wozniacki, ranked No4, rallied to beat Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Ekaterina Makarova and Sara Errani also moved into the third round.
On the men’s side, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made a successful 2015 debut by beating the American Tim Smyczek 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Tsonga, seeded 11, was playing for the first time since France’s defeat to Switzerland in the Davis Cup final in November. He sat out the start of this year with an injury to his right arm. A three-time quarter-finalist at Key Biscayne, Tsonga had 11 aces and lost only nine points on his first serve as he advanced to the third round. All seeded players received a first-round bye.
“I didn’t expect to play my best tennis today,” Tsonga said. “But it’s normal when you didn’t play a couple of months. I hope it’s going to be better and better.”
The American John Isner beat the 17-year-old wild card and world’s top-ranked junior Andrey Rublev of Russia, 6-3, 6-4. The fourth seed, Kei Nishikori, beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 6-1, while the American Jack Sock eliminated Fabio Fognini 7-6, 6-1 and Ernests Gulbis lost 6-2, 6-4 to Juan Mónaco.