INDIAN WELLS, California, March 7 (Reuters) – Buoyant after a successful tournament run on clay in recent weeks, Rafa Nadal knows he will face the toughest test of his injury comeback at the BNP Paribas Open starting on Thursday.

Following a shock second-round exit at Wimbledon last year, the Spanish left-hander was sidelined for seven months by a left knee injury and he now returns to the hard courts of Indian Wells, a surface where his all-action, fist-pumping game has always been most vulnerable.

INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) – Svetlana Kuznetsova continued her encouraging resurgence from an injury-hampered 2012 campaign with a 6-3 6-1 demolition of Czech Andrea Hlavackova in the BNP Paribas Open first round on Wednesday.

The Russian, whose world ranking has plummeted to 46th from a career-high second, swept past Hlavackova after converting all five of her break point chances at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

INDIAN WELLS, California, March 6 (Reuters) – Svetlana Kuznetsova continued her encouraging resurgence from an injury-hampered 2012 campaign with a 6-3 6-1 demolition of Czech Andrea Hlavackova in the BNP Paribas Open first round on Wednesday.

The Russian, whose world ranking has plummeted to 46th from a career-high second, swept past Hlavackova after converting all five of her break point chances at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) – Having had her own fair share of knocks in recent months while struggling for form on the tennis court, Caroline Wozniacki sprang to the defense of her golfing boyfriend Rory McIlroy in his time of trouble on Wednesday.

McIlroy, golf’s world number one, told a news conference in Miami earlier in the day that he had been wrong to walk off mid-round at last week’s Honda Classic and admitted his toothache was not bad enough to justify quitting the tournament.

INDIAN WELLS, California, March 6 (Reuters) – Having had her own fair share of knocks in recent months while struggling for form on the tennis court, Caroline Wozniacki sprang to the defence of her golfing boyfriend Rory McIlroy in his time of trouble on Wednesday.

McIlroy, golf’s world number one, told a news conference in Miami earlier in the day that he had been wrong to walk off mid-round at last week’s Honda Classic and admitted his toothache was not bad enough to justify quitting the tournament.

INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) – For a second successive year, Victoria Azarenka brings red-hot form to Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open but the confident Belarusian has no desire to reflect on past glories.

Rather than look for motivation in a perfect 14-0 record in 2013 as she prepares to defend her title at a venue where she feels extremely comfortable, Azarenka prefers to focus on the present in her bid to create even better memories.

INDIAN WELLS, California, March 6 (Reuters) – For a second successive year, Victoria Azarenka brings red-hot form to Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open but the confident Belarusian has no desire to reflect on past glories.

Rather than look for motivation in a perfect 14-0 record in 2013 as she prepares to defend her title at a venue where she feels extremely comfortable, Azarenka prefers to focus on the present in her bid to create even better memories.

MARANA, Arizona, Feb 25 (Reuters) – A seven-year victory drought on the PGA Tour helped American Matt Kuchar appreciate the difficulty of winning, and made his triumph at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Sunday taste even sweeter.

Kuchar was a gifted collegiate golfer who, as an amateur in 1998, tied for 21st at the Masters and 14th at the U.S. Open but he learned the hard way how inaccessible the winner’s circle can be after turning professional in 2000.

MARANA, Arizona, Feb 25 (Reuters) – A seven-year victory drought on the PGA Tour helped American Matt Kuchar appreciate the difficulty of winning, and made his triumph at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Sunday taste even sweeter.

Kuchar was a gifted collegiate golfer who, as an amateur in 1998, tied for 21st at the Masters and 14th at the U.S. Open but he learned the hard way how inaccessible the winner’s circle can be after turning professional in 2000.

MARANA, Arizona (Reuters) – Matt Kuchar felt as if he ruled the golfing world on Sunday after landing his first World Golf Championships (WGC) title with a 2&1 victory over Hunter Mahan in the Accenture Match Play Championship final.

The 34-year-old American emerged triumphant after a marathon week at Dove Mountain that began with a snow delay on Wednesday, winning all six of his matches in an elite event that brings together the game’s leading players.