Ebden qualifies for Indian Wells main draw
Matt Ebden has come through a tight two-set match in the final round of qualifying to advance to the main draw of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells.
Indian Wells, USA, 7 March 2013 | tennis.com.au
Matt Ebden has come through a tight two-set match in the final round of qualifying to advance to the main draw of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells.
The 25-year-old defeated Canada’s Frank Dancevic 6-3 7-6(7), requiring one hour and 29 minutes to subdue his 141st-ranked opponent.
Ebden was forced to overcome 10 double faults in the match, but elsewhere on the stat sheet, his serving statistics were solid.
He won 74 per cent of points behind his first delivery and saved three of five break points on his way to victory, which sends him into the main draw in the Californian desert for the third straight year (each time arriving via qualifying).
In 2012, Ebden rode his momentum all the way from qualifying into the fourth round, defeating the seeded Julien Benneteau and then-world No.8 Mardy Fish en route before going down to John Isner.
The Western Australian bolsters Australia’s presence in the men’s main draw to four, with Bernard Tomic, Marinko Matosevic and Lleyton Hewitt also in action at the $US4.33 million event.