Czech bounces No. 2 seed Kerber at Indian Wells

Third-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan celebrate with their trademark chest bump
after edging Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco on Saturday in the first round
of doubles in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Mal Taam/www.malt.photo

   Angelique Kerber, it appears, is still reveling in her stunning Australian Open title.

   Seeded second, the 28-year-old German left-hander lost to Denisa Allertova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

   Kerber, who received a first-round bye, is 1-3 since shocking Serena Williams in the Australian Open final on Jan. 30 for her first Grand Slam title. She also won the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford last August.

Angelique Kerber
2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   The 23-year-old Allertova, ranked 64th, recorded her second victory over a top-5 player. She ousted then-No. 2 Simona Halep in the quarterfinals at Guangzhou en route to the final, in which she lost to Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-0, last September.  

   One day after nine women seeded between No. 10 and No. 29 lost, three of the top six exited. No. 4 Garbine Muguruza of Spain fell to Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 7-5, 6-1, and No. 6 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain pulled out with a right ankle injury.

   Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Raquel Atawo (formerly Kops-Jones) of San Jose and Abigail Spears of Colorado Springs, Colo., reached the doubles quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over wild cards Allertova and Petra Kvitova, also from the Czech Republic.
   In the second round of men's singles, No. 15 seed David Goffin of Belgium edged Frances Tiafoe, an 18-year-old wild card from the Washington, D.C., suburb of Hyattsville, Md., 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2).
   Tiafoe reached the semifinals of the $50,000 Fairfield, Calif., Challenger last October.
   No. 3 doubles seeds and former Stanford stars Bob and Mike Bryan nipped Spanish left-handers Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 7-5 [10-8] in the opening round in front of more than 6,000 fans in 8,000-seat Stadium 2.
   The Bryan twins won the title in 2013 and 2014, and Nadal teamed with countryman Marc Lopez for the 2010 and 2012 crowns.