AFP, INDIAN WELLS (US): World number one Andy Murray crashed out of the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Saturday, toppled in straight sets by 129th-ranked Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil.
“I felt like I had the ability to do it, but going through it is another thing,” Pospisil, a former Wimbledon doubles champion, said after notching the biggest singles win of his career 6-4, 7-6 (7/5). “I just tried to stay composed.”
Murray, coming off his first title of 2017 at Dubai, was again brought up short in Indian Wells, where his best showing is a 2009 runner-up finish to Rafael Nadal.
He was at a loss to explain his erratic results in the California desert.
Murray was particularly disappointed to have dropped the first set after twice going up a break.
But a lackluster service effort, including seven double-faults, spelled disaster in the face of Pospisil's aggressive attack.
The 26-year-old Canadian had the Stadium Court crowd solidly behind him as he battled at the net. Trailing 4-2 in the first set, Pospisil won six straight games as he went up a break in the second before Murray broke back to knot the score at 2-2.
They went with serve to the tiebreaker, in which Murray's double-fault gave Pospisil a 3-1 lead. Murray saved one match point with a service winner before holding off Pospisil on two more on the Canadian's serve. But Pospisil finally put it away with a forehand winner.
Murray, who endured a disappointing fourth-round exit at the Australian Open, was left to regroup before the fast-approaching Miami Masters.
Pospisil, meanwhile, was looking ahead to a meeting with Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic, a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2) winner over Spain's Feliciano Lopez.
French seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also fell at the first hurdle, stunned 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4 by Italy's Fabio Fognini.
Fognini, ranked 43rd in the world, notched his first win over eighth-ranked Tsonga in five career meetings.
He also ended the Frenchman's nine-match winning streak that had seen him lift trophies in Rotterdam and Marseille.
Third-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka advanced without incident, downing Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-4 to set up a third-round meeting with Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, who was trailing 6-7 (3/7), 1-1 when Alexandr Dolgopolov retired from their match.
Eighth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem also advanced on cue, easing past France's Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 6-4 while Japanese lucky loser Yoshihito Nishioka upset 19th-seeded Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-3.
Nishioka withstood a dozen aces from the Croatian veteran, breaking him three times while saving all seven break points he faced.
