Muguruza survives scare to beat teenager Day
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[March 13, 2017]
(Reuters) - French Open champion
Garbine Muguruza got a fright from Kayla Day but outlasted the
precocious American teenager 3-6 7-5 6-2 to reach the fourth round
of the BNP Paribas Open in California on Sunday.
Day took the first set from the seventh seed and had two break point
opportunities at 5-5 in the second but the 17-year-old was unable to
hammer home her advantage.
Muguruza used her experience to get out of trouble, eventually set
up a meeting with Ukrainian 10th seed Elina Svitolina in just over
two hours under a relentless sun at Indian Wells.
"I started a bit off," the 23-year-old Spaniard said. "My shots
weren't there. The experience of keeping calm and fighting helped;
it's no secret.
"I think I'm improving in general a lot of things, but I know that
maybe two years ago this match I wouldn't turn it around. I think
that's experience."
Muguruza was impressed with Day, the U.S. Open junior singles
champion.
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"She reminds me a little of me, when I was super motivated and
playing very good," she said.
Day hoped to learn from her defeat.
"I was pretty upset after my match, because it didn't go the way I
wanted it in the end but if you look at the big picture, I was able
to push a top 10 player really far," she said.
On a day when three matches went to third set tiebreaks, there
ultimately were no big upsets, with Czech third seed Karolina
Pliskova and Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetzkova also winning.
And fifth seed Slovakian Dominica Cibulkova also advanced, if only
barely, saving a match point in a 2-6 7-6(5) 7-6(4) win over
left-handed Czech Kristyna Pliskova, whose 18 aces were not enough.
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![](../images/031317pics/sports53.jpg)
Garbine Muguruza (ESP) during her third round match against Kayla
Day (not pictured) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells
Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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Pliskova also had 13 break opportunities in the third set alone, but
converted only two.
In an even closer encounter, Swiss 15th seed Timea Bacsinszky
survived four match points to beat Dutch 18th seed Kiki Bertens 6-3
5-7 7-6(8).
Eleventh seed Johanna Konta was the highest ranked player to fall,
the Briton edged 3-6 6-3 7-6(1) by Carolina Garcia of France.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina)
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