A stomach virus circulating throughout Indian Wells forced seven players to withdraw or retire from the field. Nadia Petrova arrived in the desert dealing with a different sort of illness—she was sick and tired of losing. The former world No. 3 had not won a singles match since the Australian Open, and was on a six-match losing skid to Top 10-opponents. So when Petrova, who blew a match point in a second-set tiebreaker today, dropped serve to hand Samantha Stosur a 6-5 lead in the final set, it seemed her season of futility would continue.
But the Russian had other ideas. The No. 30 seed found a remedy in her serve and resilience, firing 15 aces to edge Stosur, 6-1, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), in a two-hour, 46-minute emotional tug of war to reach the fourth round of Indian Wells for the fifth time.
It was Petrova's first win over a member of the Top 10 since she beat, of all people, Stosur, at New Haven in 2010. Stosur avenged that loss at the 2011 U.S. Open with a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5 decision that spanned three hours and 16 minutes—the longest women's match at Flushing Meadows since the introduction of the tiebreak—but couldn't edge out another win today.
Petrova pounded three consecutive aces to close out the 30-minute opening set in emphatic style. The Moscow native won 16 of 20 points played on her serve in the first set, and claimed nine of the first 11 games before Stosur, whose slice backhand was more of an uncommitted poke at the outset, began to find her range while Petrova's lofty service level started to dip.
Like Serena Williams, the champion Stosur vanquished in the U.S. Open final last September, the Aussie does not call for on-court coaching, preferring to solve her own problems. Whatever she told herself, it worked: Petrova served for the match at 5-4, only to squander a 30-15 lead. Then, after hitting a stinging serve winner down the middle to earn a match point at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker, Petrova wouldn't win another point in the overtime. Stosur smacked a serve winner to stave off elimination, and two points later sent a two-handed backhand return down the line to draw an error and take the second set. Stosur's backhand, which had been the weak link all day, delivered in a massive moment.
A topsy-turvy decider saw Petrova clank three double faults to gift wrap a break and a 3-2 lead, but she broke right back when Stosur flailed a forehand five feet wide. Ultimately, the match was decided by nerve and serve: Petrova held at love in her next two service games, but gagged in blowing a 40-15 lead and dropping serve in the 11th game. Stosur stepped up to serve it out, but like Petrova in the previous set, couldn't seal the deal. Petrova broke back at 15 to force the decisive tiebreaker.
A fine forehand volley winner gave Petrova a 4-2 edge, and when Stosur netted yet another backhand, the underdog had two more match points. Stosur sent a forehand wide, concluding the struggle as Petrova exhaled in relief.
—Richard Pagliaro