Novak Djokovic has won the Indian Wells title winning over Mardy Fish in the Final in 3 sets, 6:2 7:5 6:3. With Ana Ivanovic (Novak's compatriot) winning Indian Wells title in women's competition, out of fun some have referred to Indian Wells as Serbian Wells.Novak won 9th ATP title and proved his the most dominant player this season. After winning the first Grand Slam of the season, Novak dominated in the season's first Masters Series tournament. In front of 18.000 spectators, Novak won first set with 6:2.In 2nd Novak won 2 break games and led 4:2 and it seemed it will be a fast finish of the match with Novak on serve. Though, Mardy made the match more interesting equalling to 5:5 in games, Mardy won a break and after a powerful service game won the set 5:7 to become the only player this
Video Ana Ivanovic Vs Svetlana Kuznetsova - Masters Series Indian Wells 2008
Video Ana Ivanovic Final Masters Series Indian Wells 2008
Video Ana Ivanovic Indian Wells 2008
Ana ivanovic Vs Vera Zvonareva Indian Wells 2008
Ana ivanovic Vs Jelena Jankovic Masters Series Indian Wells 2008
La serbia Ana Ivanovic se llevó el título del Masters Series Indian Wells 2008 femenino (WTA) luego de
Video Novak Djokovic Vs Mardy Fish - Masters Series Indian Wells 2008
Novak Djokovic se consagró campeón del primer Masters Series del año, Indian Wells 2008. Venció al estadounidense Mardy Fish en tres sets. El resultado fue 6-2, 5-7 y 6-3.
Novak Djokovic Empezó de forma arrolladora, con tres juegos a su favor en el arranque. Fish reaccionó al romper el saque al serbio y a punto estuvo de
Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic continued Serbian terror on the tennis courts. Ana, who used to practice in empty swimming pool when she was a teenager, defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 6-3 to grab the Indian Wells trophy.
Novak Djokovic confirmed Serbian reign at this Masters after beating...
Ana Ivanovic won her career 6th WTA title after beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in two sets, 6:4 6:3. The match was all about Ana showing powerful performance, Svetlana was never in the driving seat. Match lasted 1 hour and 21 minutes during which Svetlana managed to win only one Ana's service game. Ana now lead 5-1 against Svetlana in head-to-head matches. The match saw Ana making 30 'winners' in front of the 18.000 crowd in sunny Indian Wells.In first set, both players kept service games until 8th game when Ana made a break for 5:4 lead, then won service game for 6:4. History did not repeat itself for Ana always to win against Svetlana in 3 sets when she made a break in 6th game of 2nd set for 4:3 lead, kept service game, made another break and won second set 6:3.After the victory, President
Novak Djokovic overcame last year's Indian Wells title winner Rafael Nadal in straigth sets, 6:3 6:2. It was yet another Novak's powerful perfomance, yet another straigth sets sets win.. could he be any better? :)On a sunny Californian day, Novak fully controled the match, he's services were unbeatable and he constantly put pressure on Rafael's service points, it all eventually led to almost easy win in 87 minutes of play in front of 15.000 spectators in the world's second largest tennis stadium.Key moment in first set happened at 4:3 when Novak made a break for a 5:3, and won the set by keeping his serve. In pause between two sets, Rafael asked for medical help suffering problems with leg thumb.Beginning of second set, Rafael seemed to have the power to bounce back and took 2:1 lead and w
After losing to Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic heads home to Florida. Jelena is a bit dissappointed, interestingly almost as if she lost in Round 2 or 3, and this was a Semi-final of a Masters Series Tournament, only the biggest thing after the Grand Slams.It tells about Jelena's spirit of a champion, never to give up and never to satisfy with nothing but being #1. The bright spot Jelena found in her play in Indian Wells is that she feels her game is progressing and she will continue to work hard on her serve and other segments of the game. Jelena also puts poweful display in media for on and off court WTA #1 :) She features on all WTA events, fashion shows, is often blogger for WTA, she's loved by fans and always receives a great welcome no different was in Indian Wells. Jelena will now he
After the match that is always certain to be different than others, better between the two Serbs from Belgrade was Ana Ivanovic against Jelena Jankovic in 2 sets, 7:6 6:3. In a superb Semifinal match, Ana was that little better to be in opportunity to play tomorrow, Sunday March 23nd, for Indian Wells title.First set was equal as it can be until tie-break when Ana blew away Jelena with 6:0 lead, after which Jelena managed to win 3 points but no more to make it 7:3. Second set saw crucial moment happen at 1:1 in games when Ana made a break.Ana never lost her service games and with a few spectacular shots finished the set 6:3. This is what A & J had to say after the match:Ana: 'Every final you make, it's always very special. This is a big tournament. I'm really proud the way I played this we
Novak Djokovic is in the Indian Wells Semifinals after a win over Stanislas Wawrinka in two sets, 7:6 6:2, after more than 2 hours of play. Novak is now a step away from the Final he played in last year.At this point of the Masters Series tournament, one must look back on all what Novak has achieved in the last year/year and a half, success after success, breaking records, moving fast forward in ATP rankings, first Tier I title, Grand Slam title..Now Novak is proving reputation of a Top 3 player, he cruised into the Indian Wells Semifinals in a way that look almost sub-real with all straigth sets wins playing better and better.As a matter of fact, Novak has progressed so much and established himself so high in the world of tennis that now reporters refer to Novak's hard match even when he
Jelena Jankovic is in the Semifinals of Indian Wells (yikes, feels so easy and natural to say:) after the win in the last WTA Quarterfinal match of the day, Lindsay Davenport retired prior to start of 2nd set after Jelena won first one 6:2 in 24 minutes of play.Lindsay, one of two moms (along with Sybille Bummer) in the WTA Top 100 list, withdrawal came due to back pain. This match made a 4-2 record for Lindsay against Jelena. Jelena considers her own play in first set was quite satisfying.Lindsay: 'It was pretty obvious to me after two games that I was pretty sore out there, and it was quite hard to rotate. Obviously with playing tennis you need your rotation, so I tried to do the best I could. But sometimes these things happen, and when you're familiar with an injury, you kind of know r
Ana Ivanovic cruised to the Semifinals after easily beating Vera Zvonareva in straigth sets, 6:1 6:4. This was really a match to enjoy for Ana's fans, for those who didn't watch, there is not much to say other than it was Ana's yet another powerful performance in a match with little uncertainty on the final outcome.Ana opened first set with 5:0 lead, got a set point on Vera's serve but didn't use it, for eventual 6:1 win in first set. Second set was equal until 4:4 when Ana had 3 break points and used the third chance for 5:4 lead, later won her service game for 6:4 and match victory.Ana: 'I thought I played some best tennis since my matches here, so I was really happy about that, in the second set I had a break up and little bit lost concentration in that game, and start to get a little b
Jelena Jankovic (a.k.a. JJ) will play today, Thursday March 20th, against Lindsey Devenport not before 2.30pm local time in the second WTA Quartefinal match of the day. Jelena used the day yesterday for recovery and relaxation, slept well, got up around 9am, had hairdresser put her fuscia extensions.Jelena spent the rest of yesterday training, in light workout, healing cold, having 3massage therapists working on her at once, returned to the hotel in the afternoon, watched a bit of Nadal - Tsonga match, stayed resting in hotel even though her mom went shopping and friends played golf.Jelena thinks it will be a difficult match to face Lindsey in the Quarterfinals with their last meeting taking place in Beijing 2007 that ended in Jelena's win. As Lindsey is coming back to the WTA Tour (after
Novak Djokovic made yet another brilliant performance in Indian Wells, it was the 'same old' in Round 4, straight sets win in a short match, this time it was againt Guillermo Canas 6:2 6:3 in 80 minutes of play.Djokovic was controling the match from its very tart. Guillermo, World #16, was never in lead and this is what Novak had to say after the match: 'Only top players progress in play a match after match, I think I got that characteristic too'.Novak added: 'We all know how dangerous opponent can Guillermo be, thus I'm even more satisfied after a convincing win. Novak will now play against Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka who dispatched Huing Taik Lee from Korea in 3 sets, 6:1 5:7 6:4.Stanislas is 22 year old (23rd birthday next week), 182cm tall, 79 in weight, current World #35, #33 in Race, wi
Today's Round 4 matches give us the answer who are to be the Quarterfinals participants of ATP Masters Series Tournaments in Indian Wells 2008. Novak match is #4 on schedule and will not start before 2.15pm local time. Novak is seen as a strong favorite to win the match, the only player given greater chances to win against the opponent in 8 matchs of this Round is Roger Federer against Ivan Ljubicic. Highly interesting matches of the day will be Rafael Nadal (Indian Wells' defending champion) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Australian Open 2008 Finalist) with predicted chances 60-40% for win in Rafael favore.Here are Novak's some more thoughts on the upcoming match: 'I played Guillermo one time in Miami last year, and I played one of my best tennis, I think, in that final. It was a three set victo
Ana Ivanovic made it to the Quarterfinals after beating Italian Francesca Schiavone in 3 sets, 2:6 7:5 6:2. Many people made a remark about it being no easy win but when you play in Round 4 of a Master Series Tournament against World #22, it's expected to face a fighting match against your opponent. Ana lost first set 2:6, first lost set in this year's Indian Wells. Ana managed to put more power into her play, for eventual win 2:1 in sets. Ana will now be playing against Russian Vera Zvonareva who won over Australian Kasey Dellacqua, 6:7 6:0 6:4.Ana and Vera, current World #21 and #12 seed, played 4 matches up to now with 2-2 record. Ana won in Warsaw in 2005, last season in Luxemburg, while Vera won last season in Australian Open and Charleston. Vera won 5 tournaments up to now, the same
Jelena Jankovic is in the Quartefinals after all 2:0 wins in Indian Wells, this time against Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6:3 6:3 in 1 hour and 18 minutes of play. Players Jelena played against up to now were outside Top 30, she used the opportunity to achieve convincing wins in less than 80 minutes matches to avoid tiredness.Once again Jelena's main problem was concentration, that is the lack of it, element of play Ana Ivanovic yesterday said she has worked on successfully in her play. It's Jelena's turn to work on it. Both sets Jelena started by losing service games to make it a more challenging duel after 6:0 6:2 6:1 6:1 sets she played in Indian Wells.Jelena routinely finished the first set 6:3, second set seemed to be an ever easier one when she had a 4:1 lead, when Medina made a break, e
Jelena Jankovic seems to really enjoy Indian Wells. One of the main thing that contributed to her great mood is she's no longer bothered with injuries, as she explains: 'I'm healthy. This is why you see me smile more often in compare to the beginning of the year when it I was not myself. Due to injuries I wasn't able to enjoy the game'.Jelena said it was pretty cold and windy during her morning match against Ai Sugyiama yesterday. Jelena received a silver necklace with a crystal tennis ball on it from a fan yesterday that was one of the highlights of Jelena's day (yeah, she's a girl:).Jelena spent the rest of the day practicing on her serve, some shots and exercises for her back in order to strengthen the area she recently had problems with and avoid any new injuries.Jelena was seen in a s
Ana Ivanovic made her place in the next round by beating Tatiana Garbin in two sets rather convincing, 6:3 6:0. This is what Ana had to say after the match against Tatiana: 'Definitely I could play better than how I played against Tatiana. I made powerful finish, managed to try some things, excersies shots and won at the same time'.Ana looked back on her style of play: 'I always aspire to execute everything perfect, to play in the best possible way no matter who is opponent and in what Round the match is played. But with time I realized I play with too much spent energy and emotions in the early matches of tournaments, even when it's not necessary'.'Now I try to find the play I feel pleasent with, not to bring myself under pressure, in stress situations, thus save energy. When I am feelin
Novak Djokovic is on the roll, this time it was Philipp Kohlschreiber who faced Novak and suffered convincing loss in straigth sets, 3:6 2:6. Match lasted only 69 minutes and Novak got additional time to rest ahead of tonight's Quarterfinals. Novak heads to the Indian Wells Final like an express train and we will see if there is anyone to stop his force, this is what he had to say after Round 3: 'I believe I have a new quality in my play. I finally realized how to play introduction matches in the tournaments'. 'It is good I didn't get too much tired against Phillipp, even though I didn't play the best I can. I need to spend my energy rationally'. Now, Novak will play against Argentinian Guillermo Canas who won against compatriot Juan Monaco in 3 sets, 6:3 6:7(1) 6:2 in a match that lasted
Jelena Jankovic found time in Indian Wells to share her experiences with the fans. Jelena said it's cooler than what it was in Indian Wells for the past couple of days, plus windy conditions make extra hard play conditions, still those 2 obsticles made her even more focus in order to overcome them.Jelena is getting up around 11am, she hasn't been able to adapt the best to changing time difference and the climate she experienced last week in India. As as a top player, usually her matches are scheduled later in the day and she can have more sleep, talking about some benefits of being in Top 5 :)Jelena is one of the leading stars in Indian Wells and it gives her little time for rest after the matches, usually there are press conferences, tv shows, fitness sessions.. To close the day, Jelena m
Swiss world number one Roger Federer, back in action after recovering from a recent viral problem, smiled broadly after easing through his opening match at the Pacific Life Open.
The top seed crushed Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3 6-2 in a second-round encounter at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden where he was champion for three years in [...]
Ana Ivanovic secured her place in the Quarterfinal after a win against Joana Raluca Olaru in surprising 3 sets, 6:1 5:7 6:0. Resting after Dubai, Ana was fully ready for Indian Wells and a convincing win was expected in her first match.Ana started awesome, in no time she won the first set 6:1. Ana made a break in the fifth game of second set and it seemed likely Ana would keep her serve and win the set/match. Though Ioana re-breaked in the next game, then again one more at 6:5 to make win the set 7:5.In third set it was all about Indian Wells #1 seed and World #2 showing a powerful display, Ana won the set convincingly 6:0 for the Quarterfinal appearance. Before Indian Wells' first match, Ana talked how much she improved in many elements of play, this is what she had to say after losing a
Maria Sharapova, the Australian Open champion, sailed through the second round of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells and in the process maintaining her perfect start to the 2008 season. Sharapova defeated Stephanie Cohen-Aloro in the second round. It is evident that she is having a good time on the tennis circuit so far this year, is her shriek unnerving her opponents or is it her power play
Jelena Jankovic made it into Round 3 as easy as it can be done winning over American Asha Rolle in two sets 6:0 6:2 in only 58 minutes. Jelena dictated rhythm of the match from the very start and after only 15 minutes made 2 breaks for 4:0 lead.Asha, currently World #129, tried to find the answer for Jelena's great shots, Asha gave her all when on serve but Jelena proved the time of injuries is behind her and she is now ready for good results.Jelena won easily the remaining 2 games to close the first set 6:0. In the second set, motivated Asha put more power in her play and took 2:0 lead. Though, much more experienced Jelena put more power in her own play as well, totally took control ove the match, won the next 6 games for eventual 6:2 in games and 2:0 in sets.Jelena will play against the
Novak Djokovic, Indian Wells' #3 seed, started the tournament successfully as expected. Novak won over Italian Andreas Seppi in two sets 6:3 7:6 (7:3) and once again proved he's a tie-break specialist.In the first set, Novak made a break in 4th game to make it 3:1 which was enough for securing the set by keeping serve games later on, 6:3. Novak used the same tactics in the second set, he waited for the chance that came in the fifth game to take a break game lead to 3:2. Novak didn't manage to keep the serve games and lost one in 10th game when Andreas made it 5:5, a lot of credits to for Andreas not giving up and fighting hard until the very end.Novak made a re-break for 6:5 lead but again lost his serve for 6:6 in game. In the tie-break, it was Novak's time, as it usually. Novak, also kno
Com direito a um pneu (set vencido sem a perda de nenhum game), a russa Maria Sharapova derortou hoje a francesa Stephanie Cohen Aloro por 2 sets a 0, parciais de 6/1 e 6/0, em sua estréia em Indian Wells, torneio de tênis disputado em quadra rápida nos Estados Unidos. Com a vitória, Sharapova, quarta cabeça-de-chave da competição, enfrentará na terceira rodada a grega Eleni Daniilidou, que derrotou a checa Klara Zakopalova por 2 sets a 1, parciais de 1/6, 7/6 e 6/2. Outra favorita a avançar em Indian Wells foi a francesa Amélie Mauresmo. A ex-número um do mundo derrotou a romena Edina Gallovits por 2 sets a 0, com parciais de 6/2 e 6/4. Na próxima rodada, a adversária de Mauresmo, 17ª cabeça-de-chave, será a ucraniana Alona Bondarenko, que eliminou a búlgara Tsvetana Piro
Novak Djokovic,, as #3 seed, will be free in Round 1 of Indian Wells. Round 2 will bring Novak either Italian Andreas Seppi or one of the 12 Qualifiers. Novak's opponent, Andreas is a 23 year old, current World #40, #57 in the Race, with career high in Singles at #39 on February 25th 2008, highlights in 2008 include ATP Quarterfinal in Rotterdam, win in Bergamo Challenger in Singles and Doubles.In all, Andreas is in life time form with recently accomplished career highest ranking. Andreas and Novak played 2 times previuosly with Novak winning both matches, in 2007 in Vienna (hard surface, 6:4 6:3) and Rotterdam 2006 (hard surface, 6:2 2:6 7:5).Novak played in Indian Wells' Final last year (lost to Rafael Nadal) and is defending 350 ATP points. He could match up with Rafael in the Semi-Fina
Murray loses 2-6 3-6.The result isn't a shock as Djokovic is clearly a rising star with a strong all-round game, not to mention the fact that he has about two years more experience than Murray at the top level. What is a shock is the speed with which Murray was dispatched.Of course, the score doesn't tell the full story.The reality is that Murray probably should have pulled out before the match began. The injuries he sustained in the previous match may not have felt too severe but, once the match began, it soon became clear that Murray was not in a position to give his all.The trainer came on and reassured Murray that he was unlikely to do any lasting damage by continuing to play so Murray, to his credit, decided to see the match out.As usual, there were flashes of brilliance from Murray, the highlight was when he recovered from a brilliant Djokovic lob to play a cross-court winner from the back of the court, almost with his back to the net.Some cynics might have passed it off as a
I've been in bed most of the weekend and conspired to miss the Davydenko and Haas matches. I did manage to catch the Djokovic match though so it wasn't a complete disaster... hmm.Anyway, I'm sure you know the details by know but for posterity, here's the round-up.Haas (after Federer) is the in form player of 2007 and after Murray injured his right foot in the first set and then injured everything else in the second, things looked grim.Murray fell awkwardly hurting his ankle, his hip and obtaining a nasty-looking scrape on his knee. It couldn't have come at a worse moment. After losing the first set 6-3, Murray was a break up in the second and looking to get back in the match.After the trainer had earned his wage, the match continued and Murray held on to his serve to take the second set 6-3 and level the match.The third set saw an exchange of breaks, but had to be decided on a tie-breaker. Shades of Roddick in San Jose here as the tie-break just kept going. Haas had match poi
The first meeting for these two and both are on top form. Both have only lost three matches so far this year, but Haas has won a couple more thanks to his semi-final run in the Australian Open and only Federer has earned more ranking points.On paper, this could be as hard a match as Murray has played all year, but the 'X factor' is that they have yet to play a competitive match against each other. How this match will shape up is anyone's guess, but here's mine.Comparing stats, Haas is a strong server, winning 86% of his service games and facing about 30% fewer break points than Murray. Murray on the other hand is a better returner, carving out 30 more break points while playing two less matches. Murray's record for breaking serve is fractionally under 1 in 3.People are starting to realise that Murray is one of the best returners in the game right now (currently 7th on this stat) and it's a great weapon to neutralise players who rely on big serves to power through matches (hen
So Andy Murray beats the world number 4, Davydenko (again), in straight sets (again): 7-6 6-4I've been in bed with a nasty cold so I missed this match. A real shame because it sounds like it was a bit special. Just over two hours and with an average of over 6 points per game, this was as epic as a straight sets match gets.For a change, AndyMurray.com has more info on the match than the BBC, so make sure you check out the link at the bottom of this post. Looking at the stats, what stands out to me is a rock-bottom 1st serve % for Murray (42% overall and down to 38% in the second set) but, by contrast, a total of 10 aces compared to Davydenko's 1.Afterwards Murray noted that the bounce was a little different from previous courts but from the way the match played out, it looks like Murray got the hang of it.This is a huge win in what is turning out to be a tough draw for Murray. Haas (9) is next, but compare that to Djokovic who has got to the Qtr-Finals without playing a seeded pl
Davydenko (4) is next and don't let the last meeting fool you, this will be a tough match.Davydenko has two wins against Murray already, but Murray may have a slight psychological advantage after a comfy straight sets win back in January. Murray has a stronger serve, but Davydenko has a return game that is comparable to Murray - except that Davydenko converts more break points. At this stage it seems there is little to choose between the two players.This match should be played tomorrow and I'll post the schedule as soon as I get it.Haas or Gonzalez will meet the winner of this match in the Qtr-Final.Looking at the rest of the draw, Blake is out, but Djokovic is cruising and has a good chance of reaching the semi-finals.The other half of the draw still looks strong with Ljubicic, Nalbandian, Roddick and Nadal still in play. The latter two have yet to drop a set.Murray Vs Davydenko may not be until tomorrow, but Murray & Henman have their next doubles game today and will play Chris
Murray wins again: 6-1 6-3I had to chuckle before the match listening to the commentator describing how Mahut may cause problems for Murray, but Murray should have enough to come through. Would it be wrong to suggest the commentator hadn't watched Murray play for a while.If Murray looked comfortable playing Moodie - against Mahut, Murray was sitting in a chaise longue with his feet up, sipping at a glass of Long Island Ice Tea. Murray held every serve and only faced one break point in the entire match. In the first set, Murray raced to a 5-0 lead before Mahut managed to hold a service game. Murray served it out comfortably.Mahut got more of a foothold at the beginning of the second set but, Murray soon broke again, and at 5-3 down Mahut let a 40-0 lead slip on his own serve and was broken again to complete the match in just 65 minutes.Murrays first serve percentage was in the 60's again, firing down seven aces in total. Altogether, Murray won 70% of his points on serve.It used to
We are getting used to it :(.It feels like bad beats at Poker. Sevilla not capable of winning, as GBA and Lens. Strange results this weekend.Okay back to Tennis, let's see if I can change the red figure at the bottom of the post into a green one. Cause it is not going so good at the moment, I will stick with single bets. The positive side of this is that the risk is much lower, the other side of the medal is that it will take me longer to get back in the green figures. But sportsbetting is a marathon, not a sprint.Bartoli (23) - Safina (12) (3.55, 1.28) (-/-) -> lost (2-0)My money is on Safina. She's playing very well this year. Bartoli is losing at lot lately against player which are much lower ranked than she is.Golovin (19) - Stosur (29) (1.28,3.55) (0/1) -> Won(2-0)While the head to head stats favour Stosur, I favour Golovin. Stosur is coming back from an injury. After an injury, does not matter how small it was, it is always a mental thing. Didn't I start to early, etc. Against
Despite what AndyMurray.com might tell you, Safin is out, so Murray will play Nicolas Mahut (94) in the 3rd round.Mahut needed three sets against Safin, but bagelled him in the third. This might suggest a tough match for Murray, but against a player that's never been higher than 61 in the world rankings, it's hard to imagine Murray not coming off victorious here.The schedule's been kind to the UK audience again with Murray and Mahut due out second on court number two, with play starting at 6pm (UK time). So, once again, look for a start anytime aftet 7pm (UK time) on Sky Sports Extra.Looking at how the draws shaping up, Murray looks on course for a meeting with Davydenko (4) in the fourth round. The Qtr-Finals still has Haas (9) and Gonzalez (5) available, although the latter had to dig deep in a tense three-setter against Dancevic so I wouldn't be surprised to see Haas step up here.But of course, the real shock is Federer going down in straight sets to Canas (60) in only the se
Murray wins: 6-3 6-3As is increasingly the case against lower ranked opponents, Murray looked in complete control, racing to a 5-1 lead in the first set. Murray did take his foot of the pedal briefly and allowed Moodie one of his breaks back, but at the next opportunity, Murray served out comfortably 6-3.The second set started slowly, but Murray got the break in game six. Another hold a piece, but when serving to stay in the match, Moodie faltered and Muray had three match points. He needed all three, but overall the match was as comfortable as the score suggests.It was plain to see why Moodie had managed to get to the second round with strong net play and a tough serve, but he had nothing that could trouble Murray for any extended period.Murray's 1st serve percentage was way up again today (74% in the second set, 67% overall) and although he only managed three aces, Murray took advantage of some big serving and finished a lot of points swiftly. It was unusual to see so few lengt
Qualifying is over so we can narrow Andy Murray's 2nd round opponent down to two players.It will be either Lukas Dlouhy (109) or Wesley Moodie (142).Murray and Moodie played way back in 2003 and Murray won 6-4 6-1.Dlouhy (knocked out Bogdanovic in the last qualifying round) seems the more likely opponent though having won four of his eight matches this year, compared to Moodies 0/2. Dlouhy actually started the year inside the top 100, but it seems that doubles is his strength, starting the year ranked 20th and currently up to 16.Moodie and Dlouhy are fifth on court so probably won't begin until 12pm (UK time) today. I would guess that the 2nd round match will be on Sunday, but I'll check in tomorrow and confirm it.So, in theory, Murray looks a cert for round three but no chicken counting. The top ten is on the horizon and from here on in, every match counts.
UPDATE: I just had an awesome thought! The Pacific Life Open could see Federer break the record for consecutive wins (currently held by Guillermo Vilas - 45 wins).Federer will have to win his semi-final match to break the record but, remember... the last time Federer lost was to Andy Murray.This means... wait for it... if Murray is drawn in the same half as Federer and keeps winning, he will HAVE to meet Federer before the final.In other words, for Federer to break the record he may have to get past the same player that last defeated him. The same player that stopped Federer from breaking this record a while ago.If Federer and Murray meet in Indian Wells this will be a huge deal. Remember, where you read it first.Well, the women's draw is up, but the men's draw won't be made until later on today. And with Murray not due to start until the second round, it's going to be at least a couple of days before we get any action.With so much to be gained from the tournaments covering the
The draw for next weeks Masters Series event will be unveiled soon but first, to stoke your anticipation, here's what you need to know.The Pacific Life Open is held in Indian Wells, California and is played on a hard court. It's a Masters Series event which means it is only one small step below a Grand Slam. Only the four Grand Slams and the Masters Cup have more ranking points to offer.Like the Grand Slams, Indian Wells has seven rounds played over a two-week period (compared to five in the average ATP tournament), but 32 seeded players get an automatic BYE to the second round. Federer has won this tournament three years in a row - his first victory coming against Tim Henman in the 2004 final.Progress in a Masters Series event is almost as difficult as progressing in a Grand Slam because - barring injury - nearly all of the top players will enter. Of the five players above Murray in the current ATP World Rankings, only Ljubicic has reached a final in a Masters Series during the
