ATP Round One Wrap: Fresh Starts, Milestones, and Breakthroughs

The first-round of men’s singles play is in the books. Before we look ahead to the seeds taking the court for the first time on Saturday and Sunday, let’s have a look at five key storylines that have developed since main draw play began. 

Americans on the Prowl 

American men’s tennis is in a good place in 2022, with 11 players in the ATP’s top-100, eight of which are aged 24 or younger. The future is indeed bright for the stars and stripes, according to Jose Higueras, a former Director of Coaching for the USTA, who has worked with a number of legends past and present, including Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Michael Chang.

“I’m so hopeful and I will say I’m pretty sure that one of these kids or a couple of these kids are going to actually have a great year in 2022, because I’ve seen them,” Higueras told BNPParibas.com. “They have the talent and they are good. But you have to do the work.” 

Super Sebi 💪@SebiKorda scores a well-fought win against Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-4#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/wdZdT2purO

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 11, 2022

Among the promising youngsters to play their way into round two are Sebastian Korda and Jenson Brooksby. Korda, who topped Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets for his first win at Indian Wells, will face Rafael Nadal in the second round. Brooksby, a Sacramento native with a tricky, disruptive game, blasted past Roberto Carballes in round one to earn a second-round clash with Karen Khachanov. 

Kyrgios Has a New Lease on Life 

Nick Kyrgios has been through his share of dark days on tour, and at times the enigmatic Australian has hinted that his playing days may be numbered. Short on motivation and long on injury troubles, Kyrgios has struggled to build momentum on tour since the pandemic hit, and it shows in his ranking. 

But this year the 132nd-ranked wild card has shown up in the California desert with a new lease on life. Kyrgios says he feels better than he ever has and he likes his chances to do some damage in both the singles draw, where he’ll face Argentina’s Federico Delbonis in round two, and the doubles draw, where he has paired with Thanasi Kokkinakis, the childhood friend that he won the Australian Open doubles title with in January. 

“Mentally I feel the best I’ve ever felt to be honest,” Kyrgios told the press on Thursday at Indian Wells. “Physically I feel not hindered anymore, with movement. Tonight I was running for drop shots, a lot of movement side to side, I can slide again with no pain, on my serve I can land with no pain, it’s just like I was able to play before but it was something in my mind that I was feeling, it was something that was definitely weighing my game down.” 

Legend Andy Murray Joins the 700 Club

Victories have been hard to come by for Andy Murray over the last two seasons. Bogged down physically after his hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, the three-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t always progressed as rapidly as he would have liked. But his struggles have only made the former world No. 1 double down and dig deeper. 

Buoyed by an abundance of grit and determination, Murray had a rare chance to pause and celebrate on Friday when he earned his 700th career win by defeating Taro Daniel in three tight sets. 

That 7️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ moment

Soak it in, @andy_murray #IndianWells pic.twitter.com/6S0TqM0ZVo

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 11, 2022

“Reaching that number is a really, really good achievement,” Murray said in his post-match press conference. “It’s not been easy getting there… I got to 600 in Cincinnati in 2016. Five and a half years to get the last hundred, so it’s taken a while.” 

The 2009 Indian Wells runner-up views the milestone as a motivator. He will face Alexander Bublik in the second round, believing that he can continue to build his legacy in tennis paradise. 

Rune’s Big Stage Breakthrough 

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz isn’t the only 18-year-old making waves in the California desert. Enter Denmark’s Holger Rune, a whipsmart baseliner with a motor that is perpetually in motion. The world No.86 stormed through qualifying and took down France’s Ugo Humbert with a commanding performance on Friday for his first Masters 1000 triumph.

Impressively, Rune never faced a break point as he eased past the world No.42 in just 60 minutes. 

He was elated to lock down his first Indian Wells victory. 

“It feels amazing, it was a great match for me,” he told BNPParibas.com. “I had a very clear tactic of how I was going to play and I managed it almost perfectly I would say. Ugo he’s a great player, he beat the best player this year – Medvedev. I thought I played one of the cleanest matches I’ve ever played, not giving anything away, playing aggressive, putting pressure on him and not giving easy points, making him play for every shot, so I’m super proud of the way I played today.”

Shang Makes History at Indian Wells 

Though he fell in first-round action on Friday, China’s Shang Juncheng still made history for his country when he played his way through qualifying to become the first Chinese man to ever take his place in the BNP Paribas Open mens’ singles main draw. 

Shang, who lost to Jaume Munar, 6-3, 6-4, also notched the following milestones by making the main draw. 

• Youngest men’s player in main draw of BNP Paribas Open since Donald Young, 16, in 2006.
• Youngest men’s qualifier at BNP Paribas Open since start of ATP Tour in 1990.
• Youngest qualifier at an ATP Masters 1000 event since Rafael Nadal, 16, at 2003 Hamburg.