I commented a few days about the wild tournament Indian Wells had been, especially on the men's side. Only two of the top 8 seeds made the quarters, but those two - Djokovic and Federer - ended up playing in a very competitive final. On the women's side, where the top 2 seeds were still alive and four of the top 8 advanced to the quarters, the surprises continued, with a completely shocking champion, taking me back to 2010 when Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez win in Rome was followed up Aravane Rezai winning in Madrid a week later.
Men: 2) Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. 7) Roger Federer (SUI) 3-6 6-3 7-6(3)
Women: 20) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) def. 2) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 6-2 6-1
Honestly I am little surprised at the this result on the men's side given the form of both players and Federer's recent win in Dubai and his play in the first set of the match. But Djokovic found a way back and perhaps this will jump start him into some better more consistent play for the upcoming heart of the tennis season. This result from Federer, while he didn't beat any the top players, he didn't lose until the final, and shows us he will have a say in the season.
-Djokovic wins 42nd career title, last '13 World Tour Finals
-It is his 17th Masters win, which ties him for 3rd all time behind Nadal's 26 and Federer's 21
-It is his 3rd win at Indian Wells ('08,'11)
-He is now 2230 points of Nadal though the Spaniard is not defending any points in Miami
-Federer rises to #5 in the rankings and will likely be #4 after Miami, where Ferrer is defending finals points and Federer skipped the tournament last year
-Isner defeated Gulbis in two tiebreaks to reach the semis and took a set off Djokovic there; he is up to #10. With that result the Americans finish the tournament with a 8-14 record.
-Dolgopolov defeated Raonic to reach his first Masters semi
Pennetta has been in good form recently but she beat the top two seeds back-to-back in the semis and final, both in straight sets to win the biggest title of her career. What is with all these Italians coming from nowhere mid- or late-career to win big titles (or play a final in Errani's case)? I'm not sure what these means going forward other than Pennetta seizing the moment. But is the tour about to fall into anarchy sending us back to around 2010? We will see if this a blip or a trend in Miami. Serena will be back but Azarenka has pulled out.
-Pennetta wins 10th career title, last '10 Marbella (nearly 4-yr drought)
-It is by far the biggest win of her career, '09 Los Angeles the only title close, most her others were small clay events
-She rises to no. 12 in the rankings and there are now 3 Italians in the top 14.
-Halep reached the semis after beating Dellacqua but then fell to Radwanska, who beat Jankovic. Li beat Cibulkova but then lost to Pennetta
-Stephens also lost to Pennetta, sending the Americans to a 12-12 record
-The top 10 had quite a bit of movement. It is now: Serena, Li, Radwanska, Azarenka, Halep (top 5 debut), Jankovic, Sharapova, Kvitova, Kerber, Errani
Now we're back to beginning as the draw reset in Miami.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment