Saturday, March 15, 2014

Roger Federer breezes into the finals at BNP Paribas Open

Roger Federer will play for his fifth title at the BNP Paribas Open, after ending the run of Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov in the semi-finals Saturday in Indian Wells. The Swiss raced to the 6-3, 6-1 victory in 61 minutes.


The seventh-seeded Swiss went on a five-game run to build a set and 2-0 lead. He converted on his first break point chance and closed out the opening set in 30 minutes with his sixth ace, then broke Dolgopolov to start the second set. He consolidated the break by winning a 20-point fifth game, and closed out the match with a break at love.


Federer has yet to drop a set this week, and extended his winning streak to 11 matches. He won his 78th title ahead of Indian Wells at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and Tomas Berdych in the final.


The 28th-seeded Dolgopolov had posted three straight wins over seeded players, including an upset of World No. 1 and defending champion Rafael Nadal in the third round, to reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final. He was attempting to become just the sixth player - and first outside the Top 30 - to defeat Nadal and Federer at the same tournament.


"I was ready physically, mentally," said Dolgopolov. "I wasn't nervous much, but I wasn't sharp enough. My concentration was going away for maybe one, two points every game, and you can't afford to have that in these matches."


Djokovic, a two-time BNP Paribas Open champion, and top American John Isner will face off in the Indian Wells semi-final for the second time in three years with a meeting with the 32-year-old Swiss once again awaiting the victor.


Federer is undefeated in finals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, winning three straight titles from 2004-06 and claiming a tournament-record fourth crown in 2012 with victory over Isner.


The Swiss, who will re-enter the Top 5 with his effort this fortnight, will be looking to win a 22th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and his first since 2012 in Cincinnati.


atpworldtour.com

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