By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, March 11, 2022
Dropping nine straight games at the start, Alison Riske reeled off 12 of the final 13 games shocking Garbine Muguruza 0-6, 6-3, 6-1 in Indian Wells.
Photo credit: Getty
Dropping nine straight games, Alison Riske threw her Wilson racquet at her chair in frustrationat futility.
Then Riske hurled everything she had at Garbine Muguruza.
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Down 0-6, 0-3, Riske roared back pulling off a comeback for the ages. Riske reeled off 12 of the final 13 games schocking Muguruza 0-6, 6-3, 6-1 in an absolutely insane Indian Wells rally that sends the American into the BNP Paribas Open third round for the first time in eight appearances.
It was Riske's 10th career Top 10 win and first Top 10 win since she surprised seventh-ranked Petra Kvitova and third-ranked Elina Svitolina at the 2019 Wuhan.
The 53rd-ranked Riske, who permitted just three games in her first-round win over qualifier Caty McNally, will play either compatriot Madison Keys or Japanese Misaki Doi for a spot in the round of 16.
For a set-and-a-half, Muguruza ripped Riske apart in baseline rallies.
Pushing the American back with some higher drives, Muguruza was stepping in slashing drives down both lines and appeared completely in command holding that 6-0, 3-0 lead that reduced Riske to tossing her racquet at her chair.
That racquet toss proved cathartic as Riske released the tension and completely flipped the script.
A resolute Riske held for the first time all day for 1-3 sparking a surge that saw her win 16 of 19 points to go up 4-3.
Riske went from road kill to revitalized responding to the nine game slide by breezing through eight straight games to take a 2-0 lead in the decider.
Moving closer to the baseline, Riske was taking Muguruza's drives on the rise and used her signature shot, the backhand down the line, to blow up rallies. A lost Muguruza briefly stalled her free fall holding for 1-2.
That was a temporary reprieve as Riske rolled through the final four games reeling off 12 of the final 13 points to complete a stirring comeback.