"I was absolutely mortified, I'm sorry for everyone who had to watch those games" - Alison Riske on trailing 6-0, 3-0 against Garbine Muguruza before spirited comeback
Alison Riske pulled off an incredible comeback victory against Garbine Muguruza at the 2022 Indian Wells Open, recovering from a first-set bagel to beat the eighth seed 0-6, 6-3, 6-1. The American looked dead and buried after losing the first nine games, but showed remarkable resolve to turn the match around.
During an interview with the Tennis Channel, Riske revealed that she was mentally not in the right space at the beginning of the encounter. The World No. 53 sheepishly conceded that she was "absolutely mortified" by her performance early on, even feeling bad for the people who had paid hard-earned money to watch her compete.
"There was so much going on in my head, I think that was probably half the problem. I was absolutely mortified at my performance [when I was 0-6, 0-3 down] and I was like, "People paid to come and watch this!" It was crazy," Riske said. "I'm sorry for everyone who had to watch those games."
Alison Riske also jokingly admitted that she could not even look at her own team because she was afraid they would be "freaking out and having heart attacks." At the same time, the 31-year-old declared that she was confident even at that point that she could get back into the contest once she got herself on the board.
"I knew that if I could just get myself on the board, it was going to pay dividends," Alison Riske said. "At that point, I was not thinking about anything other than making it to the hour mark. I couldn't even look at my camp because everyone was probably freaking out and having heart attacks."
Alison Riske was served a bagel in the first set but came back strong to stun former World No.1 Garbine Muguruza 💪
#AlisonRiske #GarbineMuguruza #IndianWells #Tennis https://t.co/bJladXdU3L
The World No. 53 remarked that her previous wins against the Spaniard was a major reason why she did not lose her head despite the early setback. The American had a 2-2 head-to-head record against Muguruza going into the contest, having won their last two meetings.
Yikes.. Garbine Muguruza
That slipped away from her real fast. She was up 6-0 3-0 and Allison Riske won 12 of the next 13 games.
Allison Riske has now won her last 3 matches Vs Muguruza
2018 Tokyo R16 6-1 6-2
2019 USO R1 2-6 6-1 6-3
2022 Indian Wells R64 0-6 6-3 6-1
The American managed to reel off 12 of the last 13 games to seal a remarkable win and advance to the third round.
Riske referred to the victory as "unbelievably special" for a multitude of reasons.
"Honestly, I knew that if I could get back, win a couple of games and get to 3-2, I had a really good feeling about it. I've played [Muguruza] multiple times before. [I was focused on] just getting into the match, just getting my first serve percentage up, looking to start points through the middle and give myself more room," Riske said. "I can't even believe I am sitting here right now. It was unbelievably special in many different ways."
"It's taken me 13 years to reach the third round in Indian Wells for the first time but it's super exciting for me" - Alison Riske
With the win over Garbine Muguruza, Alison Riske secured passage to the third round in Indian Wells for the first time in her career. The World No. 53 said she was proud of herself for breaking new ground, adding that she was looking forward to progressive even further.
"It's taken me 13 years to reach the third round in Indian Wells for the first time. But it's super exciting for me. Honestly, I feel like I am playing some really good tennis," Riske said. "I have to give myself the space and the freedom to come out. It has been a process to come back [after the injury last season], but all that is behind me [now]. I think good things are happening and today's win is better than if I had won it in just two easy sets."
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INDIAN WELLS | Madison Keys is through to the third round after seeing off Misaki Doi 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in just under two hours.
Keys, seeded 25th this week, takes on compatriot and “close friend” Alison Riske next. 👊🏾 https://t.co/repyxCn3r0
Alison Riske will take on compatriot Madison Keys in the third round. Keys, seeded 25th in the tournament, earned a hard-fought victory over Misaki Doi in her opener.