(Indian Wells) Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and her New Zealand partner Erin Routliffe let slip a match point in the super tiebreaker before losing 7-6 (3), 2-6 and 12-10 to the Japanese Ena Shibahara and the American Asia Muhammad, Monday, in the round of 16 of the Indian Wells tournament.
Dabrowski and Routliffe, second seeds in the women’s doubles tournament, erased a match point from their opponents before being themselves unable to end the clash.
Shibahara and Muhammad were particularly effective in returning their rivals’ second serve, winning 59% of rallies when necessary.
The last representative of the maple leaf still in contention at this tournament, Dabrowski had signed, along with Routliffe, a victory of 6-0 and 6-2 against the Spaniard Cristina Bucsa and the Russian Alexandra Panova in the first round.
The winners will play fifth-seeded Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals. The latter had the upper hand in two sets of 7-6 (10) and 6-2 against their compatriots Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk, earlier in the evening.