American qualifier Colton Smith celebrated his 22nd birthday with his first ATP Tour main draw win, beating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round at Indian Wells on Wednesday.
Smith converted seven of his nine break point opportunities and was serenaded with “Happy Birthday” by fans in the California desert.
Also on Wednesday, Kei Nishikori emerged the victor in a roller-coaster match with Spain’s Jaume Munar to advance 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3).
The 2014 US Open finalist will face 18-seed Ugo Humbert in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Britain’s Cameron Norrie thrashed Luca Nardi of Italy 6-0, 6-3 in the evening to set up a second-round meeting with No. 23 seed Jiri Lehecka.
Marcos Giron, Roman Safiullin and Tallon Griekspoor were among the other players who advanced to the second round of the Masters 1000 event.
Reuters contributed to this report.
IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.UP NEXTSevere storm brings heavy rain and strong winds across the US02:26'Ch
Indian Wells has already had its first major casualty, with Naomi Osaka losing her opener to Camila Osorio.Osaka retired hurt during the Australian Open, and w
Jack Draper will be looking to continue his impressive start to the 2025 season at Indian Wells, where Jannik Sinner will not be present.Draper reached the Qat
Emma Raducanu is currently preparing for her Indian Wells opener, but is also focused on hiring a new coach.Laura Robson thinks Raducanu’s coaching options a