Seeded Karolina Pliskova qualified for the third round of the WTA and ATP Masters in Indian Wells on Friday, as fifth seed Garbine Muguruza was knocked down by Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.
It was only the fourth victory against a top 10 player in the career of Tomljanovic, 28, with the Australian star currently ranked 47th after reaching a career high of 39 in 2019.
She was 0-6 in 2021 against top 10 players before the game.
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Pliskova, ranked third in the world, needed 80 minutes to beat 23-year-old Polish qualifier Magdalena Frech 7-5, 6-2.
Pliskova drew six aces to bring his WTA leader total to 387 for the season, converting five of six break chances against Frech.
It was the 106th-ranked Frenchman who took the first break of the match, taking a 4-3 lead in the first set.
But Pliskova quickly gave in and led 6-5, the Czech giving herself a set point with a winning backhand before Frech pulled into the net.
Pliskova took a 5-1 lead in the second set and, after giving up her serve during the match, beat Frech for the fifth time in the match to secure the victory.
Spain’s Muguruza, meanwhile, was knocked out 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 by Australia’s Tomljanovic, who reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Muguruza appeared to have turned the tide when she pocketed the second set to tie the game – helped by an increase in the Australian’s errors.
But Tomljanovic regrouped, smashing Muguruza in the opening game of the third. Muguruza pulled out the break to tie the set at 3-3 and then gave up his serve again and Tomljanovic ended it with a final break of serve.
In other matches of the women’s second round, Ons Jabeur edged out Anastasija Sevastova 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 to reach the third round.
The night session will see Bianca Andreescu launch her defense of the title she won in 2019 – the tournament’s final edition – when she takes on American Alison Riske in the second round.
The top-seeded men also got into action, with US Open champion Daniil Medvedev taking on American Mackenzie McDonald.
Fourth seeded Russian Andrey Rublev opens his campaign against Spaniard Carlos Taberner.
Medvedev is playing his first ATP event since winning his first major title at Flushing Meadows – where he denied Novak Djokovic a rare Grand Slam sweep with his victory over the Serbian star in the final.
Since then, Medvedev has helped Team Europe beat Team World at the Laver Cup
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