One of the key headlines from Indian Wells on Thursday came not from singles action but from a women’s doubles match on the new Stadium 2.  There, Martina Hingis continued her limited comeback to the game by partnering Sabine Lisicki against a pair of Australians, Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua.  The seventh seeds had reached the final of every major except Roland Garros last season, so they marked the latest in a series of brutal draws for the returning Hingis. 

After the wildcards led by a break in each set, Barty and Dellacqua regrouped to take the first and hold four match points in the second.  Able to fend off each of the match points, Hingis and Lisicki spurred visions of a miracle when they used the momentum surge to race through a tiebreak bagel.  But the Aussies won the decisive match tiebreak, denying Hingis a win that might have taken her comeback to another level.

This match did not have a monopoly on drama for the day, however.  Here are capsules of some key singles results to note.

Alisa Kleybanova d. Victoria Duval:  It was unfortunate that either woman had to lose in the first round, for each of their stories provides more than enough reason to root for them.  While Kleybanova has mounted a sporadic but valiant comeback from Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Duval emerged from the turmoil of her native Haiti to become a pupil of Nick Bolletieri.  She held the upper hand for much of this match, looking to rekindle the memories of her US Open upset over Samantha Stosur.  But Kleybanova rallied in both the second and third sets to rekindle her own memories of a 2010 quarterfinal run here.

Taylor Townsend d. Karin Knapp:  Fans who watched the Australian Open will recall Knapp’s near-upset of Maria Sharapova in a grueling epic that spanned three and a half hours.  Fans of American women’s tennis also will recall her two pivotal victories over Americans in Fed Cup last month.  Another well-chosen wildcard, Townsend earned a measure of revenge against the Italian on behalf of the Stars and Stripes.  She won a main-draw match at Indian Wells for the second straight year, exploiting seven first-set double faults by Knapp.  Not yet 18, Townsend still has plenty of time to fulfill her promise. 

Tim Smyczek d. Jack Sock:  These two Americans stand just three places apart in the rankings at No. 102 (Sock) and No. 105 (Smyczek).  To no surprise, then, the first men’s match this year on Stadium 1 came down to a final set.  The first meeting between the compatriots saw the smaller Smyczek build an early lead before the more powerful Sock rallied.  In a rollercoaster third set, neither man could finish off the other after each led by a break.  The 26-year-old Smyczek handled the situation better than his 21-year-old opponent did, scoring just his second win of the year with a match-ending break.

Zheng Jie d. Paula Ormaechea:  This match was notable less for its participants than for its length and drama.  A former semifinalist at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Zheng needed the first third-set tiebreak of the main draw to oust Argentine clay specialist Ormaechea.  The Chinese veteran became the sixth woman this tournament to rally from losing the first set as she battled through in 177 minutes. 

Michael Russell d. Donald Young:  In another all-American clash, the 35-year-old run built on his surprise run to a Memphis semifinal last month.  Young could not benefit from his main-draw wildcard, holding serve just once over the second and third sets after not dropping serve at all in the first set.  He faced a staggering 17 break points in 13 service games.

Camila Giorgi d. Andrea Petkovic:  When Giorgi is good, she is very good, and she tends to relish the big stage.  A second-week run at the US Open last fall, including an upset of Caroline Wozniacki, put the fierce shot-maker on the map as the latest Italian talent.  She defeated Petkovic, once a top-15 star, for the second consecutive tournament.  Not known for resilience, Giorgi weathered the loss of a first-set tiebreak and stayed fresher near the end of the 2-hour, 37-minute affair than an opponent plagued by chronic injuries.

Lleyton Hewitt d. Matthew Ebden:  Not much had gone right for Hewitt after his stunning victory over Roger Federer to win the Brisbane title in January.  Hewitt won only two of his next six matches, and he retired from his most recent tournament in Delray Beach.  The two-time Indian Wells champion (2002-03) must have relished the chance to embrace the Stadium 1 atmosphere, however, during an all-Australian clash.  Proud of his status as the best Australian tennis player of his era, Hewitt survived 10 double faults and seven service breaks to advance in three sets. 

Jeremy Chardy d. Rhyne Williams:  At the Australian Open, Williams had caused a mild stir by qualifying for the tournament and then throwing a scare into world No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro.  He also won a set from top American man John Isner last month.  Ranked outside the top 150 headed into the tournament, Williams kept it creditably close against world No. 48 Jeremy Chardy.  He even erased a second-set deficit before succumbing to his more experienced opponent.

Ryan Harrison d. Andrey Golubev:  Like Williams, the struggling Harrison received a wildcard into the main draw.  Unlike Williams, he has enjoyed a history of success at Indian Wells, including a fourth-round appearance in 2012.  Those memories may have helped carry Harrison to just his second non-retirement victory in an ATP main draw since August.  He occupies a relatively benign section of the draw, so another win or two could lie ahead.

Friday will witness the start of women’s second-round action as contenders such as Agnieszka Radwanska, Victoria Azarenka, and Jelena Jankovic open their campaigns.  The men will complete the first round as their superstars still lie dormant.