3rd set

1-0, Daniela comes back from 0-30 to hold, winning 4 straight points. Crucial hold.
1-1, Foretz Gacon holds to 15. Come on Daniela, keep fighting.
1-2, Daniela broken to 0. Foretz Gacon has all the momentum at the momentum, Daniela has to break.
1-3, Foretz Gacon holds to 0. She's 66% 1st serve in, 6/6 on 1st serve. Daniela has to hold next game.
2-3, Daniela holds to 30. Hopefully she can raise her level or Foretz Gacon's comes down.
3-3, Daniela breaks from 40-15 down.
4-3, Daniela holds to 15.
4-4, Foretz Gacon holds from 0-30.
5-4, Daniela holds to 30.
6-4, Daniela breaks to 30, wins it on her 1st match point

She survived. This is about as unimpressive a win as you can have, but at this point we just have to take it and hope Vika gets lost on her way to the stadium.

Don't think the weather helped-apparently it is both freezing cold and windy,and Daniela never plays well in those conditions.

Wow that was too close for comfort! But she came thru and now she can just have fun against Vika. 50 points is quite nice as that has been a 5 pointer in the last 3 years so we'll take that. Good fight Daniela in crappy weather conditions.

Two-time champ Daniela Hantuchova escapes; Victoria Azarenka up next
Written by
Bill Byron
The Desert Sun

NDIAN WELLS — It was all two-time Indian Wells champion Daniela Hantuchova could do to get out of the first round Thursday, dropping the second set and going down a break in the third before battling back to beat qualifier Stephanie Foretz Gacon 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

The narrow victory in cold and gusty conditions sets up a noteworthy second-round match between Hantuchova, who won the tournament in 2002 and 2007, and top seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka.

Hantuchova, who turns 30 next month, is the only woman in the draw with more than one championship trophy from Indian Wells. Despite that, a first-round exit at Wimbledon and a second-round loss here last year have contributed to her world ranking dropping to No. 73 and forcing her to play the top seed in the second round.

“I’m looking forward to the match,” the Slovakian said. “She’s been having a great time the last two years, and playing incredible tennis so I have to play my best to beat her but that’s what I’m here for.”

Hantuchova upset Azarenka in their most recent meeting — a three-setter at Doha in 2011.

She’ll have to play more like that and less like her performance Thursday — where she struggled to put away Foretz Gacon, the qualifier from France — if she hopes to pull off a stunner in the second round.

“(Foretz Gacon) was playing really well in the second set. It got kind of windy at the beginning and I think I got a little bit tired and started just to push the ball around, but you know, I just kept fighting. It was not easy (with) the conditions out there,” Hantuchova said. “It’s always tough. The first round in a tournament like this, which means a lot to me, but I’m really happy with the win.”
+ video interview. Daniela seems to have forgotten about Wimbledon 2011.


HANTUCHOVA RALLIES, FIRST ROUND WRAPS
The only player in the draw who has won the title twice battled back to set up a second round clash with a very, very big name. Sofia Arvidsson overcame a 62 41 deficit to get past Laura Robson.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA - Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic - all former World No.1s, all former champions at the BNP Paribas Open. But there's one other player in the draw who has tasted victory here, and in fact she's the only one who has done it twice - that's Daniela Hantuchova, and she toughed out a first round win on Thursday.

Hantuchova, a former World No.5 currently down at No.73 after missing a big chunk of last year with a foot injury, showed she's finding her range again, as well as the fire inside of her, battling back from a 3-1 third set deficit to beat French qualifier Stéphanie Foretz Gacon in her first match, 63 36 64.

"Stéphanie was playing really well today," Hantuchova said. "The second set wasn't easy - the windy conditions were tough, and I was getting a little bit tight - but first rounds are always tough, and I just tried not to worry too much about it. The tennis will never be pretty in windy conditions like this.

"This tournament means a lot to me so I'm happy I won today and made it through."

Hantuchova is the only multiple champion in the draw this year, having won the title in 2002 and 2007 - and next up for her is the No.1 seed and 2012 champion, Azarenka. "I'm actually happy and looking forward to it," Hantuchova said about the match-up. "She's been doing so well the last two years and playing some really incredible tennis, so I'll have to be ready and play my best to beat her."

One thing weighing in Hantuchova's favor? The head-to-head - she actually leads Azarenka, 2-1.



Two-time former champion Daniela Hantuchova was made to work hard for her place in the second round, battling past French qualifier Stephanie Foretz Gacon 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and 13 minutes. The 29-year-old Slovak lifted the Indian Wells trophy in 2002 (d. Hingis) and 2007 (d. Kuznetsova) and goes on to meet top seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka.

"I think Stephanie was playing really well in the second set," said Hantuchova. "It got quite windy and it wasn't easy to play any rallies. I got a little bit tight, pushing the ball around. But I just kept fighting; it was not easy conditions. It's always tough playing the first round in a tournament like this, which means a lot to me. But I'm really happy with the win."

Bloody journalists. Daniela last met Vika in Wimbledon 2011-no excuse for not knowing that.

Daniela's the fourth match on Stadium Court, not starting before 4:30pm.



Medina Garrigues just lost to Cirstea in three sets and the third set was 6-1 so I'm not sure what sort of form or condition she'll be in for the doubles. If the Davydenko-Mathieu match lasts a long time then she can have a bit of time to recover but I'm not feeling that optimistic about the doubles as Doha's been the only tournament where they've played well. We'll see what happens.

Check what Daniela says in the Desert Sun video, Benji.

I'm sorry to hear about your wife, Alex, I hope she gets better soon.