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Indian Wells Semifinal: Roger Federer vs. Mardy Fish Federer
has taken a much different route to the tournament’s final weekend. In fact the
Swiss did not even have to play a quarterfinal match, as would-be opponent
Tommy Haas pulled out with a sinus problem. Federer was utterly dominant in his
first three matches. He crushed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-2, routed Nicolas
Mahut 6-1, 6-1, and then rolled over 23rd-seeded Ivan Ljubicic 6-3,
6-4. Federer is looking to capture his first title in 2008, having failed at
the Australian Open and in Dubai, where Andy Murray stunned him in the opening
round. Federer should be playing for the title on
Sunday. As if Fish needed any more disadvantages heading into a showdown with
the best player in the world and arguably the best player ever, consider the
time each contestant has spent on court recently. Fish took two hours and 28
minutes to finish off Hewitt and the thriller with Nalbandian lasted 2:45.
Federer, meanwhile, has spent just three hours and 15 minutes on court
throughout this entire tournament. Fish is up against monumental odds, but if
there’s one thing 2008 has taught us, it’s that nothing is impossible.
On paper this one looks like it
should be a rout. It’s already been a crazy season on the ATP Tour, however, so
will the Roger Federer-Mardy Fish semifinal tilt at the Pacific Life Open
produce yet another shocker?
The second quarter of the Indian Wells draw was completely wide open right from
the start, but few could have imagined that it would be Mardy Fish emerging
from the fracas to face Roger Federer in the semifinals. That’s exactly what
happened, however, and it will be the sixth head-to-head meeting between the
two players when they square off on Saturday. Federer holds a perfect 5-0 edge
over Fish, but the last victory came all the way back in 2005 at this same
Masters Series event.
If Fish is ever going to break through against the world No. 1, the time is
now. Sure he is a huge underdog, but the American is in rare form at the moment
and enjoying one of his best-ever tournaments. In the earlier stages of the
Pacific Life Open, Fish handled Florian Mayer, 31st-seeded Igor
Andreev, and No. 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko without dropping a set. His next two
victories came at the complete opposite end of the spectrum: in third-set
tiebreakers. On Wednesday Fish took out No. 24 seed Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 3-6,
7-6(4), and he followed that up with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(4) upset No. 7 seed
David Nalbandian in the quarterfinals.
Fish Still Swimming after another
Marathon Win Mardy
Fish advances to the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open by winning his second
straight match in a third-set tiebreaker, this time over David Nalbandian. Fish
will face No. 1 seed Roger Federer on Saturday for a spot in the final. It was a fitting conclusion to a wild second quarter of the Pacific Life
Open draw that was defined by third-set tiebreakers. A whopping six matches in
this section went the maximum distance, the last of which came in a Friday
quarterfinal that saw unseeded Mardy Fish outlast No. 7 seed David Nalbandian
6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(4) in two hours and 28 minutes. It was Nalbandian’s third
final-set tiebreaker of the tournament, but this time he was unable to pull it
out. Once again Nalbandian looked as if he would not even be able to take it
as far as he did. Fish stormed to a set lead thanks to solid serving (six aces,
80 percent first-serve points won) and aggressive play from the baseline. The
American had a chance to finish things off in straight sets, but Nalbandian
came up big in the tiebreaker and overcame 10 second-set aces by Fish to level
the match. Nalbandian fell behind again in the third set. He found himself serving
to stay alive at 4-5 and promptly lost three of the game’s first four points to
give his opponent two chances at finishing the match right then and there. Two
Fish errors, however, allowed Nalbandian to level things at deuce and he went
on to hold serve. Discouraged by the squandered opportunity, Fish dropped his
5-5 service game to put the match squarely on Nalbandian’s racket. The
Argentine also struggled in the pressure situation and he double-faulted at
15-40 to set up the decisive tiebreaker. Not known for maintaining mental strength during the tough times, Fish
made a statement that he is a new and improved player by owning the tiebreaker
in every way. He seemed to enjoy the moment, got the crowd involved, and simply
played more aggressive tennis than Nalbandian in the final moments. He finished
off the match by coming into net after a rocket backhand return and putting
away an overhead. Fish dropped to his knees in exultation when it ended. Fish advances to the semifinals, where he will meet
Roger Federer. The world No. 1 moved on in much different fashion, as Tommy
Haas pulled out prior to the match with a sinus problem. It will be the sixth
career head-to-head meeting between Fish and Federer when they square off on
Saturday. Federer holds a perfect 5-0 edge over Fish, but the last victory came
all the way back in 2005 at this same Masters Series event. Thumbs Up: Fish fired 23 aces and 61 total winners Thumbs Down: Can’t take away anything from either player, but Nalbandian
let Fish control play and that double-fault a 6-5 in the final set really hurt
Fish
Overpowers Gutsy Hewitt
In a quarter of the draw
marked by third-set tiebreakers, it’s only fitting that one of the fourth-round
duels in that section went the distance. Mardy Fish outlasted Lleyton Hewitt to
move on to the Pacific Life Open quarterfinals.
MardyFish pulled off yet another upset
on Wednesday in his run through the Pacific Life Open, taking out No. 24 seed Lleyton
Hewitt 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(4) in two hours and 28 minutes. It was a thrilling contest
that featured Fish’s power against the steely resolve of Hewitt, and in the end
the man with the bigger game prevailed.The two players split sets one
and two, paving the way for a classic third. Fish took the opening frame by
controlling baseline points and taking advantage of Hewitt’s failure to put in
enough first serves. The Aussie double-faulted five times and won less than
half of his second-serve points in the first set. As he often tends to do,
however, Hewitt seemed to wear Fish down in the second set with steady play
from the back of the court, and that allowed him to level the match.
High-quality tennis from both
players made for a wildly entertaining final set. Each man dominated on serve,
as Hewitt lost just eight points on serve in the final 13 games and Fish
dropped only ten. Hewitt actually won more points (38 to 37) in the decisive
third set, but it was Fish who came up big at the critical stages. Clutch
serves and aggressive play off the ground allowed the American to overwhelm his
more passive opponent in the tiebreaker.
Fish, who has also dispatched 31st-seeded
Igor Andreev and No. 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko, moves on to the quarterfinals,
where he will face No. 7 seed David Nalbandian. The American holds a 1-0 edge
in the head-to-head series, but that win came all the way back in 2003.
Thumbs Up: Fish completely
dictated play, making more unforced errors than Hewitt, but hitting far more
winners
Thumbs Down: Hewitt was at Fish’s
mercy the entire match, and he failed to mix in enough variety to keep Fish out
of rhythm
Nalbandian Returns Blowout Favor to Ferrero Two months after getting routed in a
huge third-round surprise at the Australian Open, David Nalbandian gives Juan
Carlos Ferrero similar treatment in the fourth round of the Pacific Life Open.
Nalbandian moves on to the quarterfinals with an easy victory.
David Nalbandian crushed Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday,
advancing to the quarterfinals of the year’s first Masters Series event in
Indian Wells. In doing so, the Argentine exacted revenge for a humiliating 6-1,
6-2, 6-3 loss to Ferrero at the Australian Open in a match that he was he
expected to take without much difficulty.
This time things were much different, if not completely opposite. Nalbandian
sent the message right away to Ferrero that the Spaniard would not enjoy the
same kind of picnic he enjoyed Down Under. The No. 7 seed broke his opponent
twice in the opening set and lost only five points in four service games.
Thanks to flawless play from the back of the court, Nalbandian was not only
able to dominate on serve despite putting in just 48 percent of his first
deliveries in set one, but he also won more than half of Ferrero’s first-serve
points.
Save for one minor hiccup by Nalbandian on serve, the second set—which he won
by the same 6-2 scoreline—progressed much like the first. Nalbandian used an
exquisite return game to dominate Ferrero’s serve even though the No. 22 seed
put in a much higher rate of first offerings.
The bottom line is that Nalbandian completely dictated play throughout the
afternoon. He was by far the more aggressive of the two players and there was
not much Ferrero could do about it. Both men made 20 unforced errors over the
course of the match, but Nalbandian fired 23 winners compared to Ferrero’s
meager eight.
Nalbandian advances to the quarterfinals where he will take on unseeded Mardy Fish. The American holds a 1-0 edge
in the head-to-head series, but that win came way back in
Indian Wells Fourth Round: Mardy Fish vs. Lleyton Hewitt In a relatively
surprising clash in the fourth round of the Pacific Life Open, unseeded Mardy
Fish will take on 24th-seeded Lleyton Hewitt. Both players scored
dominant victories on Tuesday to advance in Indian Wells. Fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko and No. 13 seed Mikhail
Youzhny are gone thanks to the two men left standing in this eighth of the
Pacific Life Open field, Mardy Fish and Lleyton Hewitt. Fish and Hewitt will do
battle on Thursday in a fourth-round match that few could have expected when
the draw was revealed. This will be only the second time the two have met
head-to-head and the first encounter came way back in 2002 at Queen's Club,
where Hewitt prevailed 7-5, 6-3. Fish is a much different player now, although still inconsistent. The American
got all the way up to No. 22 in the world rankings last March, but a dismal
summer stretch and a fall season that wasn't much better has left him with a
current standing of 98th. Fish is beginning to turn things around, however, in
2008. He reached the third round of the Australian Open and promptly followed
that up with quarterfinal appearances in both Delray Beach
and San Jose.
So far this week Fish has taken care of Florian Mayer, 31st-seeded
Igor Andreev, and No. 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko without dropping a set. Other than his epic win over Baghdatis in Australia that ended after 4:30 in
the morning, Hewitt has struggled for the most part this season. In Rotterdam he got caught
looking ahead to a potential second-round clash with Rafael Nadal and lost to
unheralded Andreas Seppi in a third-set tiebreaker. Most recently in Las Vegas, Hewitt took
out slumping Marat Safin in round one before being stunned by Julien Benneteau.
The Aussie is looking great so far in Indian Wells, however, having
dispatched Las Vegas
champion Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-3 and Youzhny 7-5, 6-1. Fish has a bigger serve and an all-around bigger game than Hewitt, but then
again so do Querrey and Youzhny. The relatively slow hard court should give
Hewitt a slight edge by allowing him to send back too many balls in the
direction of his opponent. If Fish plays like he did against Davydenko, it's
going to be a close, entertaining contest. Indian Wells Fourth Round: Juan Carlos Ferrero vs.
David Nalbandian Having just squared off in the third round of the
Australian Open, Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Nalbandian will mix it up once
again in the fourth round of the Pacific Life Open. Will Ferrero dominate like
he did Down Under, or will Nalbandian get revenge? Nalbandian is in up-and-down form at the moment; clearly not where he was
last fall when he shocked the tennis world with two straight Masters Series wins
in Madrid and Paris. The No. 7 seed kicked off this season
with the disappointing blowout loss to Ferrero in the third round Down Under,
but he has since righted the ship. He won the title in Buenos
Aires and then finished runner-up in Acapulco (lost to Nicolas Almagro). This week
Nalbandian has won both of his matches in third-set tiebreakers. After
surviving Ernests Gulbis on Sunday, Nalbandian stormed back from a 6-0
second-set drubbing and a third-set deficit to overcome Radek Stepanek. Indian
Wells Third Round: Radek Stepanek vs. David Nalbandian
The 1-1 head-to-head score will be settled when Radek Stepanek and David
Nalbandian square off in the third round at the Masters Series Indian Wells.
Like Tuesday’s matchup, both of the previous two tilts were contested on hard
courts. Stepanek took the first one three years ago in Rotterdam, Netherlands
6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Nalbandian got revenge one season later at the Masters Series
Miami with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. Stepanek
is playing solid tennis right now and should feel good about his chances
against Nalbandian even though he will be the underdog. The 29-year old Czech
has two first-round exits in 2008, including to Vince Spadea at the Australian
Open, but other than that he has posted encouraging results. Stepanek reached
the semifinals in Sydney, made it to the
quarterfinals in Wroclaw, finished runner-up to
Andy Roddick in San Jose, and most recently
progressed to the semifinals in Memphis.
This week the No. 29 seed appears to be picking up right where he left off, as
he rolled over qualifier Max Mirnyi 6-4, 6-2 in the second round on Sunday. Nalbandian
is also in fine form at the moment, but what he’s doing now is nothing compared
to the streak he enjoyed last fall. The Argentine, ranked No. 7 in the world
and seeded seventh at the Pacific Life Open, stunned the field at the Masters
Series Madrid, beating Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer in
consecutive matches to take the title. Two weeks later Nalbandian pulled off
another shocking title at the Masters Series Paris. He took out Federer and
Nadal in that one as well; Federer in the third round and Nadal in the final.
Nalbandian kicked off this season with a disappointing blowout loss to Juan
Carlos Ferrero in the third round of the Australian Open, but he has since
righted the ship. He won the title in Buenos Aires
and then finished runner-up in Acapulco (lost to
Nicolas Almagro). Nalbandian survived a huge test from Ernests Gulbis on Sunday
and sometimes that’s just what a player needs to kick-start a deep tournament
run. He came back from 5-3 down in the third set to defeat the 19-year-old
Latvian in a deciding tiebreaker. It
won’t get any easier against Stepanek. Nalbandian has a clear edge from the
baseline and he will aim to keep his aggressive opponent pinned back in the
court with deep groundstrokes. Stepanek is going to get into net whenever
possible, whether it’s serve-and-volleying or chip-and-charging off the
Nalbandian serve. If he wants to be successful in his approaches, Stepanek will
pick on the Argentine’s forehand, so as to avoid the lethal backhand passing
shot. Nalbandian should have a slight advantage because his strong return game
and passing shots can frustrate players at net, but with the way Stepanek has
been playing, it’s anyone’s ballgame. Nikolay Davydenko has already
eliminated one big-serving American and now he is set to take on another
in Mardy Fish. It should be interesting clash of styles once again in
this third-round matchup at the Pacific Life Open. It's been a bumpy road at
times for the careers of Mario Ancic and Juan Carlos Ferrero, but all
is well so far this week at the Pacific Life Open.
The two very different players will
match wits and skills in third round on
Tuesday. Grueling baseline rallies
should be in store when Lleyton Hewitt and Mikhail Youzhny do battle
in the third round of the Pacific Life Open. When it's all said and
done will Hewitt be doing his trademark "vitch" or will it
be Youzhny performing his four-corner salute?
Marathon men Juan Carlos Ferrero will take on
David Nalbandian on Thursday in a matchup of two players who survived third-set
tiebreakers in their previous matches. This is the sixth head-to-head meeting
between these two veterans, with Ferrero holding a 3-2 advantage. Nalbandian
took their first two matches back in 2002 and 2003, but the Spaniard leveled
the score with two victories in 2005. Most recently, Ferrero routed Nalbandian 6-1,
6-2, 6-3 in a third-round clash at the Australian Open just two months ago.
After a relative slump the past few seasons, Ferrero is beginning to show signs
of the Ferrero of 2003, when he won the French Open, lost in the U.S. Open
final to Andy Roddick, and briefly became No. 1 in the world. "The
Mosquito," still has plenty of game and is ranked 22nd, but he simply is
more inconsistent now than in the past. That inconsistency has already become
apparent from his few 2008 results. He kicked off the season by finishing
runner-up to Philipp Kohlschreiber in Auckland
and reached the fourth round of the Australian Open by destroying David
Nalbandian. Despite that early momentum, Ferrero compiled a dismal 1-3 match
record heading into Indian Wells, including two first-round blowout losses to
Teimuraz Gabashvili in Rotterdam and Roddick in Dubai. This week,
however, he has flipped the light switch back on with a routine win over Thomas
Johansson and a 7-4, 4-6, 7-6(7) nail-biter triumph over Mario Ancic.
Almost nothing appears to separate Ferrero and Nalbandian right now, but
something has to give on Thursday. It could come down to a test of mental
strength, and considering Ferrero's recent destruction of Nalbandian, the
Spaniard could have the edge in that department.
There might not be a more difficult Pacific Life Open third-round match to pick
than Radek Stepanek vs. David Nalbandian. They got here in very different ways,
but it doesn’t look like much will separate the two on Tuesday in Indian Wells.
Indian Wells Third Round:
Nikolay Davydenko vs. Mardy Fish
Nikolay Davydenko and Mardy Fish are scheduled to square off on Tuesday
in Indian Wells and it will be the second time the two players have
met head-to-head. The Russian holds a 1-0 edge, having dispatched Fish
6-4, 7-5 at the 2006 Masters Series event in Miami.
Neither player has done anything particularly positive or negative to
distinguish himself since that first meeting. The fourth-seeded Davydenko
continues to be his ever-solid, if unspectacular, self and his 2008
campaign has begun in typical Davydenko fashion. In other words, the
Russian has done well in every event he's played, but he has not been
able to achieve that one big breakthrough. Davydenko reached the semifinals
in Doha (lost to Andy Murray), made it to the fourth round of the Australian
Open (lost to Mikhail Youzhny), and eased his way into the semifinals
of last week's event in Dubai (lost to Feliciano Lopez). In the second
round of the Pacific Life Open on Sunday he took care of 6'9'' American
John Isner 6-2, 7-6(3).
Fish got all the way up to No. 22 in the world rankings last March,
but a dismal summer stretch and a fall season that wasn't much better
has left him with a current standing of 98th. The American is beginning
to turn things around, however, in 2008. He reached the third round
of the Australian Open and promptly followed that up with quarterfinal
appearances in both Delray Beach and San Jose. So far this week Fish
has handled Florian Mayer and 31st-seeded Igor Andreev without
dropping a set.
For Davydenko, Fish presents a similar challenge to the one Isner brought
in round one. While Ivo Karlovic is really the only player who can be
compared to Isner, Fish is more similar to the big man than most. He
can serve huge at times and loves to get points finished quickly with
big forehands. Fish is capable from the back of the court and moves
mildly well, but not great. Davydenko should enjoy a massive advantage
from the baseline and therefore Fish's serve will have to be in rare
form if he does not want to go the same way as Isner.Indian Wells Third Round:
Mario Ancic vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero
Unseeded Mario Ancic has already won twice this week and No. 22 seed
Juan Carlos Ferrero took care of business in his first match of the
tournament against Thomas Johansson to set up a marquee third-round
matchup at the Masters Series Indian Wells. This will be the fourth
head-to-head meeting between the two players and Ferrero holds a commanding
3-0 advantage. All three matches, however, came back when the Spaniard
was at or near the top of the men's game and two of the meetings were
contested on clay, Ferrero's best surface and arguably Ancic's worst.
So it should not be alarming that Ferrero has enjoyed a deciding edge.
Considering recent results, however, this could be Ancic's time to break
through. The 6'5 Croat has been plagued by injuries throughout his seven-year
pro career, but he is just now in the process of overcoming recent ailments.
Although he missed both the 2007 U.S. Open and this season's Australian
Open, Ancic played two tournaments in February and both were extremely
productive. He was runner-up in Marseille (lost to Murray but had wins
over Tsonga, Soderling, and Baghdatis) and reached the semifinals of
Zagreb (lost to fellow Croat Ivan Ljubicic). He has not missed a beat
yet this week in Indian Wells. Ancic blew past Gael Monfils, who is
also returning from injury, 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round and then pulled
off a minor upset of 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
Ferrero is no longer the player he was back in 2003, when he won the
French Open, lost in the U.S. Open final to Andy Roddick, and briefly
became No. 1 in the world. "The Mosquito," however, still
has plenty of game and is ranked 22nd. He is simply a lot more inconsistent
now than in the past and that is already apparent from his few 2008
results. He kicked off the season by finishing runner-up to Philipp
Kohlschreiber in Auckland and reached the fourth round of the Australian
Open by destroying David Nalbandian. Despite that early momentum, Ferrero
has compiled a dismal 1-3 match record since then. He is coming off
two first-round blowout losses to Teimuraz Gabashvili in Rotterdam and
Roddick in Dubai.
Will that Ferrero show up on Tuesday or will it be the one who erased
Johansson in round two on Sunday? It better be the latter if Ferrero
hopes to have any chance of staying with the huge-serving Ancic. He
has a solid return and he can outlast Ancic from the baseline, but with
the way Ancic has been playing (especially serving) recently, the outcome
of the match is in the Croat's hands.Indian Wells Third Round:
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Mikhail Youzhny
No. 24 seed Lleyton Hewitt and 13th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny will face
off in what should be an entertaining and evenly-matched collision in
the third round of the Pacific Life Open. The two players have met twice
before, but both meetings came on grass and took place during Hewitt's
heyday back in 2002. Therefore it shouldn't come as any surprise to
know that Hewitt holds a 2-0 head-to-head edge over Youzhny.
It's hard to say if things will be different this time around, as both
players are in decent form but their records are marked by inconsistency.
Other than his epic win over Baghdatis in Australia that ended after
4:30 in the morning, Hewitt has struggled for the most part this season.
In Rotterdam he got caught looking ahead to a potential second-round
clash with Rafael Nadal and lost to unheralded Andreas Seppi in a third-set
tiebreaker. Most recently in Las Vegas, Hewitt took out slumping Marat
Safin in round one before being stunned by Julien Benneteau. The Aussie
looked good in his first effort in Indian Wells, however, taking out
Las Vegas champion Sam Querrey in routine 6-4, 6-3 fashion.
Youzhny got off to a hot start in 2008, but he has also been slumping
of late. The Russian kicked off his campaign by winning the title in
Chennai, where he crushed Rafael Nadal 6-0, 6-1 in the final. Youzhny
followed that up with a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open
(lost to eventual runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga). Since then, however,
he has just a mediocre 4-3 match record, including two-straight first-round
exits heading into this week. Does a 7-5, 6-4 victory over in-form Gilles
Simon in the second round on Sunday have Youzhny back on track?
Youzhny should control the destiny of this match. The players are similar
in style, but Youzhny can do everything Hewitt can do and he can do
it all just a little bit bigger and a little bit better. They can both
stay at the baseline for hours and get ball after ball back in the court.
Youzhny, however, has the better serve and Hewitt has no kind of weapon
like the Youzhny one-handed backhand. But if the Russian gets off to
a slow start and his recent lack of confidence begins to show early
in the match, Hewitt could take advantage.
Sweet Escape: Nalbandian Gets By Gulbis
David
Nalbandian comes back from the brink of elimination to survive Ernests
Gulbis in a third-set tiebreaker on Sunday at the Pacific Life Open.
The win sets up a showdown with in-form Radek Stepanek.
A matchup of two extremely talented players came down to nothing
more than experience in the second round of the Masters Series Indian
Wells yesterday afternoon. A final-set tiebreaker had to decide the
tilt between David Nalbandian and Ernests Gulbis, and in the end it was
simply the match toughness that propelled the seventh-seeded Argentine
to victory. Nalbandian prevailed with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4) triumph in two
hours and 38 minutes.
For a moment late in the third set it looked like an upset would
happen well before a decisive tiebreaker became necessary. Gulbis
squandered six break chances in the final set, but he capitalized on
one opportunity and that was all he needed to take a 5-3 lead, allowing
him to serve for the match. With the whole thing on his racket,
however, the inexperience of the 19-year-old Latvian showed. After one
double-fault and two forehand shanks, Gulbis was broken at love. Both
players proceeded to hold serve the rest of the way until the
tiebreaker--which Nalbandian took seven points to fourt--settled the
score.
Both players started out serving terribly, in part due to the gusty
conditions that continued to wreak havoc at the Pacific Life Open.
Gulbis made just 53 percent of his first serves in the opening set and
was broken three times. Nalbandian put in only 49 percent of his first
deliveries and donated two breaks of serve to his opponent. As they got
used to the wind, however, both players heated up. Gulbis secured one
break in the second that and that was all he needed to level the match
thanks to much-improved serving.
Had it not been for the mental collapse at 5-3 in the third set,
Gulbis' overpowering serve would have been more than enough to propel
him to the upset. He fired 11 aces in the final set alone, giving him
19 for the match. Nalbandian did not bring as much firepower to the
table on Sunday, but he maintained composure and was too solid for
Gulbis at the key moments. That allowed him to escape from a battle in
which he appeared to be down and out.
Nalbandian advances to the third round, where he will take on
29th-seeded Radek Stepanek, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over qualifier Max
Mirnyi. It will be the third head-to-head meeting between the
contestants and the series is tied at 1-1.
---------------------------------------
Indian Wells Second Round: David
Nalbandian vs. Ernests Gulbis We have a much smaller sample size
of tennis from Gulbis than we do from the veteran Nalbandian. Gulbis, a
19-year-old from Latvia, has only bee a mainstay on the ATP Tour for about a
year now, but it's already apparent then he is a baby version of Fernando
Gonzalez or Marat Safin. He boasts a massive game that can be nothing short of
unbeatable at times, but more often than not he fires uncontrolled errors and
then loses it mentally. Last summer Gulbis stormed out of nowhere to reach the
fourth round of the U.S. Open. Gulbis won his first three matches all in straight
sets and that surge included a stunning display of shot-making in a 6-1, 6-3,
6-2 destruction of Tommy Robredo. Save for a Challenger title in Belgium and a
quarterfinal appearance in St. Petersburg, it’s been mostly downhill since
then. Gulbis’ 2008 campaign began with a minor knee injury to go along with a
dismal 1-4 match record. He began to turn things around last week in Las Vegas,
however, where wins over Nicolas Massu and Peter Luczak propelled him to the
quarterfinals. Nalbandian is playing solid tennis
right now, but it's nothing compared to the streak he enjoyed last fall. The
Argentine, ranked No. 7 in the world and seeded seventh at the Pacific Life
Open, stunned the field at the Masters Series Madrid, beating Rafael Nadal, Novak
Djokovic, and Roger Federer in consecutive matches to take the title. Two weeks
later Nalbandian pulled off another shocking title at the Masters Series Paris.
He took out Federer and Nadal in that one as well; Federer in the third round
and Nadal in the final. Nalbandian kicked off this season with a disappointing
blowout loss to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the third round of the Australian Open,
but he has since righted the ship. He won the title in Buenos Aires and then
finished runner-up in Acapulco (lost to Nicolas Almagro). Obviously if one player is hot on
Sunday and the other is having an off day, whoever is playing well will win
this one with ease. All things being equal, however, Nalbandian should have the
edge in this matchup. Gulbis likes to finish points quickly with huge
forehands, but Nalbandian is rock solid off both sides from the baseline and
will put enough balls back in play to make Gulbis work harder than he wants to.
If nothing else, it will be extremely interesting to see how this match
develops and progresses.
Tennis fans should be prepared for anything and everything in the second-round
Pacific Life Open showdown between David Nalbandian and Ernests Gulbis. The
talent level on the court will be off the charts, but both players at times can
just as easily self destruct.
Both David Nalbandian and Ernests Gulbis are wildly talented players capable of
extreme hot streaks. Both, however, are also prone to imploding when things are
down. They are momentum players in the truest sense of the word. When they're
on fire, they are completely on fire. But when they are mired in slumps, it's
hard for them to emerge from the funk. With neither player in particularly
great form at the moment, will Sunday's first-ever matchup between Nalbandian
and Gulbis produce a remarkable display of winner after winner, or a nonstop
flurry of unforced errors?
Indian Wells Second Round:
Nikolay Davydenko vs. John Isner John Isner has advanced to the second round of the
Pacific Life Open and he will meet Nikolay Davydenko on Sunday in what should
be a most interesting contest. Rarely will tennis fans ever see a more striking
contrast in styles. Raw power meets
steely resolve when John Isner takes on fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko in the
second round of the Pacific Life Open. This the first time Isner and Davydenko
will bring their differing game-plans together in a head-to-head clash. Neither player has
set the tennis world on fire—like Isner did last season at the Legg Mason
Classic in Washington, D.C.—yet in 2008, but both are in respectable form. Isner
brought a mediocre 3-4 match record into Indian Wells, although it could be far
better. The 6’9’’ American has already lost two matches in which he not only
advanced to third-set tiebreakers, but also blew match points in the process.
It’s a proven fact, however, that Isner is normally rock-solid in pressure circumstances,
as he took the tennis world by storm last summer with a run to the Legg Mason final.
All five wins en route to the title match came in third-set tiebreakers, and it
happened again on Friday in his opening-round match against Simone Bolelli. Isner
defeated the Italian 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) in two hours and 25 minutes, blasting
16 aces in the process. He’ll have to serve that well—if not better—if he hopes
to upset Davydenko on Sunday. Davydenko’s 2008
campaign has begun in typical Davydenko fashion. In other words, the Russian
has done well in every event he’s played, but he has not been able to achieve
that one big breakthrough. Davydenko reached the semifinals in Doha (lost to
Andy Murray), made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open (lost to
Mikhail Youzhny), and eased his way into the semifinals of last week’s event in
Dubai (lost to Feliciano Lopez). Isner should never
be counted out of any match simply because his serve can be so dominant and he
has the potential to go through matches without even facing a single break
point. Nonetheless, this matchup with Davydenko does not appear to be a
favorable one for the American. The Russian gets broken more than any other top
player on the ATP Tour, but he also breaks serve more often than just about
anyone. The problem for Isner is that his baseline game is not strong enough to
take advantage of Davydenko’s subpar serve, so he will have to serve incredibly
well to prevent his opponent from gaining an upper-hand in the match with his
rock-solid return game. Unless Isner put on an absolutely flawless display of
serving, look for Davydenko to pull through in straight sets, although at least
one should progress to a tiebreaker.
Indian Wells Second Round:
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Sam Querrey Something has to give when streaking Sam Querrey takes on
veteran Lleyton Hewitt in the second round of the Pacific Life Open on Sunday.
Querrey will try to blow his opponent away with huge serves and forehands,
while Hewitt will merely attempt to keep too many balls in play. Although Sam Querrey has been on the pro tour for two years
now and Lleyton Hewitt has been around for a decade, this second-round battle
in Indian Wells will be the first time the two players have ever squared off
head-to-head. Will Querrey’s power be too much for the Aussie to contend with,
or will Hewitt frustrate the up-and-coming American by getting ball after ball
back in the court? If recent form is any indication, Hewitt could have some
serious trouble in this match even though he is seeded 24th, whereas
Querrey is unseeded. Other than his epic win over Baghdatis in Australia that
ended after 4:30 in the morning, Hewitt has really struggled this season. In
Rotterdam he got caught looking ahead to a potential second-round clash with
Rafael Nadal and lost to unheralded Andreas Seppi in a third-set tiebreaker.
Most recently in Las Vegas, Hewitt took out slumping Marat Safin in round one
before being stunned by Julien Benneteau. The 20-year-old Querrey, on the other hand, is playing the
best tennis of his life. He is coming off his first-ever ATP title, which he
captured last week at the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, where Hewitt was
the No. 2 seed. Querrey had to save a match point in the first round against Sebastien
Grosjean, but it quickly became a lot easier. He scored impressive wins over Nicolas Kiefer, Benneteau, and Guillermo
Canas before ending the run of fellow youngster Kevin Anderson in the final. Querrey
surged up to No. 48 in the world rankings—just one spot away from his
career-high—and he appears to be keeping up that momentum at the Pacific Life
Open. He dispatched Luis Horna 7-6(5), 6-3 in the first round, firing 12 aces
in the process. At 6’5’’ and owner
of a massive serve and forehand, Querrey will present significant problems for
his opponent. Hewitt prefers to play against guys who cannot overpower him
physically, as he makes a living off requiring his adversaries stay on the
court much longer than they would like. Players who have big weapons and can
end points early like Querrey have an easier time of it with Hewitt.
Nonetheless, it will be far from easy for the American. Querrey must serve
huge, as he usually does, and most importantly he has to pay smart tennis. If
he buckles under the pressure of having to hit so many balls to win points and
starts going for ill-advised winners before the opportunities are really there,
Hewitt could seize the edge in this showdown. Querrey is playing
with so much confidence right now that it is hard to bet against him. This
match has all the makings of a grueling three-set thriller and those are the
kinds of matches that Hewitt normally pulls out, but at this point in time
Querrey just has too many weapons.
Ancic Routs Monfils, Sets
Up Gonzalez Showdown
As expected, Mario Ancic prevails over Gael Monfils in a battle of two
injury-plagued players. The win sends Ancic into the second-round in Indian
Wells, where he will face 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez. On paper the Mario Ancic vs. Gael Monfils matchup boasted
arguably the biggest names, the most flair, and more talent than any other
opening-round match at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells. Not surprisingly,
however, injury concerns prevented it from producing the best tennis. Ancic
crushed Monfils 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 23 minutes. Monfils is just now coming back from knee injury that
prevented him from playing in last year’s U.S. Open and kept him out of tennis
from the beginning of 2008 until last week in Dubai. He promptly lost to Tomas
Berdych there 6-3, 6-2 and it was the exact same scoreline this week against
Ancic. Monfils is simply too rusty to contend with the top players yet, and
that especially showed with his serve. The 21-year-old Frenchman double-faulted
seven times on Friday and put in just 51 percent of his first serves. He won
just 10 of 31 points in which he was forced to throw in a second offering. Ancic has also endured more than
his fair share of physical ailments, most recently back and shoulder problems,
but he is clearly in fine form now unlike Monfils. The 6’5’’ Croat did not
serve as well in this match as he did in Marseille (where he was runner-up to
Andy Murray) and Zagreb (where he reached the semifinals), but he still had way
too much game for Monfils. Ancic will have a much tougher
time in the second round with 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez. The
Chilean brings a massive game to the table just like Ancic and he has already
won a title this season in Vina del Mar. Gonzalez won the first two meetings
between these two players, but Ancic took the most recent two to level the
head-to-head score.
Big
Names, Fan Favorites Advance to Second Round John
Isner d. Simone Bolelli Isner was not the only big server who overcame swirling
wind to advance in Indian Wells. Las Vegas winner Sam Querrey fired 12 aces and
won 90 percent of his first-serve points to survive Luis Horna 7-6(5), 6-3. He
has a marquee matchup with Lleyton Hewitt in the second round. Mardy Fish
overcame a slow start to blow past Florian Mayer 7-5, 6-4. Struggling Max
Mirnyi, who has been much more successful in doubles recently and had to
qualify for the singles event, stunned Jose Acasuso 7-5, 7-5. An old-school
showdown that should feature heavy doses of serve-and-volley tennis will take
place when The Beast meets Radek Stepanek in round two on Sunday.
A blockbuster second-round lineup is set for the second quarter of the
Indian Wells draw after a host of Americans and other fan favorites came
through opening-round matches. Fast-rising youngsters Ernests Gulbis and John
Isner led the charge, along with Sam Querrey.
Ernests Gulbis d. Oscar
Hernandez
It seems like Gulbis never plays a close match. When
the 19-year-old Latvian is on, he is flat-out dominant, but when he’s off, he
looks like he belongs on the Challenger circuit. The result is that Gulbis
usually either destroys his opponent, or gets blown out. In the first round of
the Pacific Life Open, the good Gulbis was on hand. He routed Oscar Hernandez,
a Spaniard who prefers clay courts, 6-2, 6-1 in just 54 minutes. Gulbis did not
use his big serve too effectively, double-faulting four times compared to just
four aces while putting in 58 percent of his first deliveries, but he was
overpowering from the baseline. Hernandez won just seven of 21 second-serve
points and barely more than half of his first-serve points. He saved five of 10
break points and never had a single break chance against Gulbis’ serve.
Third-set tiebreakers are becoming a trend for Isner. He won five consecutive
matches in that fashion en route to the 2007 Legg Mason Classic final and the
6'9'' American had already played two matches that went the maximum distance
this season prior to Indian Wells. It happened again on Friday in his
opening-round match against Bolelli. Isner defeated the Italian 6-3, 6-7(5),
7-6(2) in two hours and 25 minutes, blasting 16 aces in the process. Each
player broke once in the match, both in a second-set that Bolelli eventually
took 7-5 in the tiebreaker. Bolelli squandered four break points at 5-5 in the
decisive set and Isner blew three match points at 6-5. After Bolelli got up 2-0
in the final tiebreaker, Isner ran off seven consecutive points to emphatically
win the match.
Indian Wells First Round: Mario Ancic vs. Gael Monfils
Two players whose vast talents have been thwarted by injuries will meet in the first round of the Pacific Life Open. In terms of name recognition, this battle between Mario Ancic and Gael Monfils deserves to take place later on in the tournament.
The marquee first-round pairing in the second quarter of the Pacific Life Open features Mario Ancic and Gael Monfils. While on paper it boats the biggest names, the most flair, and arguably more talent than any other opening-round match, injury concerns could prevent it from producing the best tennis.
Monfils had a solid summer last season, but a knee injury prevented him from playing in the U.S. Open and after a brief return in mid-September, it sidelined him for the rest of 2008. The 21-year-old Frenchman finally made his comeback last week in Dubai, where he promptly lost to Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2 in just 53 minutes. Still, just being out on the court was a positive development for Monfils.
“The result was really not that important,” he said. “The idea was to get out there on court and get a feel of a competition match. I am pleased with the way I have played my first match after such a long time.”
Injury-plagued Ancic has also endured more than his fair share of physical ailments. He, too, missed the 2007 U.S. Open and this season’s Australian Open. But Ancic played two tournaments in February and both were extremely productive. He was runner-up in Marseille (lost to Murray but had wins over Tsonga, Soderling, and Baghdatis) and reached the semifinals of Zagreb (lost to fellow Croat Ivan Ljubicic). Ancic served incredibly well in both events, and if he is bombing serves against Monfils, the Frenchman will have little chance to find his long-lost form.
Monfils and Ancic have squared off just once before, with Ancic scoring a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 blowout win at Wimbledon back in 2005. Both players are capable on all surfaces, but grass certainly caters to the 6’5’’ Croat and Monfils was in the early stages of his professional career at that point, so the result wasn’t too surprising. It might not be as easy in Indian Wells, but Ancic has enjoyed far more court time than Monfils recently, so he should be able to pull through in straight sets.
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First Round Preview: Second Quarter of the Draw
All off the seeded players get byes into the second round of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, but that doesn’t mean the first round is without intrigue. The opening stage of the tournament is still loaded with talent, and that’s apparent in the second quarter of the draw.
Ernests Gulbis vs. Oscar Hernandez
Gulbis got off to a dismal start in 2008, but the talented 19-year-old from Latvia showed signs of turning things around last week in Las Vegas. He survived a tough three-set test from Nicolas Massu in the first round and then decimated Peter Luczak 6-2, 6-1 before resorting back to his early-season form in a bad loss to Robby Ginepri. Gulbis proved at last season’s U.S. Open that he can contend with almost anyone when he plays to his potential, and anything close to his peak should be too much for Oscar Hernandez at the Pacific Life Open. The Spaniard looked lost in thee hard-court tournaments earlier in 2008 and he has not ventured away from his preferred clay surface since the Australian Open. Gulbis should take advantage of the hard courts and power his way past Hernandez.
John Isner vs. Simone Bolelli
While 2007 for Isner was all about what was, this season the story is what might have been. The 6’9 American owns a decent 3-4 match record, including a quarterfinal appearance in San Jose, but he’s already lost two matches that both went to third-set tiebreakers and saw him blow match points. It’s a proven fact, however, that Isner is normally rock-solid in pressure circumstances, as he took the tennis world by storm last summer with a run to the final of the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, D.C. All five wins en route to the title match came in third-set tiebreakers. Bolelli is relatively unproven and little-known, but he is coming off a semifinal showing in Zagreb last month and should be able to give Isner trouble. Expect at least one or two tiebreakers when these two meet.
Max Mirnyi vs. Jose Acasuso
Mirnyi has plummeted all the way down to No. 206 in the world rankings and it’s looking more and more like he will soon become exclusively a doubles player. But don’t tell the Beast that. After a woeful start to 2007, Mirnyi qualified for the Pacific Life Open main draw by upsetting Teimuraz Gabashvili and then ousting Mathieu Montcourt. Clearly his focus this season will be on doubles with new partner Jaime Murray (they have already won one title, in Delray Beach), but so far this week it looks like he could make some rare—albeit brief—noise in singles. Acasuso will be making his first appearance on hard courts since the Australian Open, having toiled on the clay of South America over the past month. The Argentine was runner-up in Buenos Aires (to David Nalbandian) and reached the semifinals in Acapulco, but how will he adjust to the faster surface of Indian Wells? Acasuso has to be favored in this one, but Mirnyi should be able to make it extremely interesting on hard courts.
In other second-quarter matches, Las Vegas champion Sam Querrey should be able to serve his way through Luis Horna, in-form Gilles Simon is favored over Carlos Berlocq, Mardy Fish meets struggling Florian Mayer, and veteran Thomas Johansson could have a tough one with Yen-Hsun Lu.
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If there’s one section of the Indian Wells draw that is completely wide open, it’s the second quarter. No Roger Federer. No Rafael Nadal. No Novak Djokovic. But there are plenty of huge talents ready to seize the opportunity and advance to the final weekend of play.
Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Nikolay Davydenko have been the top four seeds at all the big tournaments in recent memory, and the rest of the players no doubt always want to be in Davydenko’s quarter of the draw. It’s no different this week at the Pacific Life Open, where the second section looks like a complete and utter free-for-all.
The big three are obviously absent in this part of the draw, but nonetheless some of the most talented guys in the business are bunched together in this quarter. Seventh-seeded David Nalbandian, who won both the Madrid and Paris Masters Series events last fall, looms large at the very bottom of the section. Also looking to crash Davydenko’s party are 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, who is borderline unbeatable when his forehand is on target (see 2007 Australian Open), and No. 13 seed Mikhail Youzhny, who reached the quarterfinals Down Under in January. 29th-seeded Radek Stepanek could also do some damage, although he faces a potential third-round encounter with Nalbandian. Stepanek already has two semifinal finishes (Sydney and Memphis) and one runner-up (San Jose) to his credit in 2008.
This tough second section also features a handful of unseeded players who cannot be discounted. In fact it would not be stunning to see one of them completely blow past all the seeds and progress to the semifinals. Wild card Mario Ancic, who has looked good since returning from injury, opens with an enticing battle against Gael Monfils and assuming the Croat gets through that, he’ll have a blockbuster second-round battle versus Gonzalez. Tennis Channel Open titlist Sam Querrey should keep up his good form by rolling over Luis Horna, at which point he’d collide with No. 24 seed Lleyton Hewitt. Another towering American, 6’9’’ John Isner, will partake in an extreme clash of styles with Davydenko if he can survive Simone Bolelli in round one. Near the bottom of the section lurks Ernests Gulbis, who is like Gonzalez and Marat Safin in that he is one of the most powerful players in the game and can produce other-worldly tennis at times, but at other times looks like he doesn’t even belong on the ATP Tour. The Latvian should be able to power his way past Oscar Hernandez in his opening match, setting up a match with Nalbandian, which would produce some spectacular shot-making if both players are in form.
The bottom line is that while Davydenko almost never defeats the top players in the game, he makes a living on beating up on lesser opponents. While most of these talented contenders in this section of the draw cannot really be considered “lesser” players compared with the No. 4 seed, none of them are in particularly incredible form at the moment. If Nalbandian suddenly produces the same kind of tennis as he did at the end of last year or if Gonzalez regains his early 2007 momentum, one of them could get past Davydenko and make a long run at Indian Wells. Other than that, all scenarios point to the rock-solid Davydenko making his opposition self-destruct, paving a path to the Pacific Life Open semifinals.