HEAD Players Advance at Indian Wells

HEAD players Svetlana Kuznetsova and Andy Murray enjoyed personal successes at the 2007 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells.

No. 2 seed Kuznetsova reached her second final in 2007 with her new weapon of choice, the HEAD MicroGel Extreme Pro. Kuznetsova, who will reach a career-high No. 3 in the rankings following her semifinal win at Indian Wells, reached the Dubai semifinals and finished as the runner-up in Doha.

Kuznetsova faced a staunch challenge from first-time Tier I semifinalist Sybille Bammer, but ended the Austrian’s surprising run in Indian Wells with a 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory. Kuznetsova fought hard through the tournament and mentally prepared herself for the match.

"I just promised myself going out there today that I was going to stay tough every ball,” said Kuznetsova, “I know I have to play every point so that's what I did, which I'm very happy of."

Meanwhile, Murray made his way to the semifinals with his HEAD Radical. During his battle, Murray beat two top 10 players, No. 4 seed Nicolay Davydenko and No. 9 seed Tommy Haas.

In a marathon match, lasting a little over two hours, Murray beat Davydenko 7-6, 6-4. Murray went on to defeat Haas 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 despite a heavy fall on his ankle in the second set.