Stockport tennis star Liam Broady opened his campaign to qualify for Tennis's 'fifth' slam, the BNP Paribas Masters in Indian Wells, California, with a win over Indian Ramkumar Ramanathan to set up a match with Christopher O'Connell.
Broady has already recorded a hat-trick of qualifying successes on the big stage this year, by following his qualification for the Australian Open by also winning through to ATP 250 main draws in Dallas and Delray Beach.
This was Broady's first match back after a toe injury hampered his progress in the Delray Beach event, and he started like a house on fire, putting pressure on his Indian opponent from the outset.
Broady brought up a break point in Ramanathan's second service game, but whilst the 27 year old extricated himself from that tight spot, he wasn't able to do it again in the fifth game as Broady took advantage of a second serve to bring up the game's opening break.
Broady was holding with huge authority and won a straight sixteen points on serve in the first set without dropping a single one, and he reinforced his advantage by breaking and holding again to seal a comfortable first set 6-2.
Ramanathan was clearly determined to start the second set better and was attempting to get to the net behind every first serve in an effort to re-assert some authority.
A marathon first game saw him fight off two more breakpoints whilst being denied four times on his own game point before finally pumping his fist as he was able to chalk up the opening game.
Broady had shown remarkable consistency to win the first 22 points on his own serve, so it was a major shock when Ramanathan went from 30-0 down to breaking Broady's serve to bring up a 3-1 lead.
Broady returned to holding with confidence but Ramanathan was also winning some cheaper points now and brought up three set points at 5-3 when a strong forehand forced Broady to hit wide. Broady kept him guessing by saving the first two but the Chennai- based Indian drew level when putting away a smash to seal the second set 6-3.
Broady started the third set strongly and having worked an opportunity for a break point, he got into the net and sealed an early break with a superb forehand volley.
Any hopes that this might see him coast towards the finish line were abruptly shattered when Ramanathan worked himself an immediate break-back point with a blistering forehand return on a Broady second serve and when he forced Broady to hit a forehand long on the next point, the match was back on serve.
Both players held without alarms to bring the game to 4-4 when Broady came under pressure on his own serve as he was pegged back to Deuce, but a superb backhand down the line and an unreturned serve meant that Ramanathan would have to serve to stay in the match.
Broady got ahead in the ninth game when the Indian netted with a backhand approach shot and when he volleyed wide to bring up 0-30, Broady sniffed his chance. Broady came out on top after a long rally in the next point, as he worked the Indian around the court before a forehand down the line winner.
Having brought up three match points, Broady was in no mood to let them slip by and he launched himself into a blistering second service return on the first of them which Ramanathan was only able to divert into the net to seal Broady's 6-2 3-6 6-4 victory.
He will play Australian O'Connell (estimated 11:30pm UK time) in the final qualifying round tonight as he seeks to join world number 1 Daniil Medvedev, the returning Novak Djokovic and Brits Andy Murray , Dan Evans and Cam Norrie in the main draw.
