Roger Federer wins battles of the Swiss to reach quarters at Indian Wells

Rafael Nadal will face Roger Federer in the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals after coming back to beat Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the fourth round Wednesday. 

Federer earlier survived a three-set marathon of his own to defeat 18th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5.

Gulbis was on a 13-match winning streak, having made his way through the qualifying rounds at Delray Beach, Florida, where he won the title, and at Indian Wells, where he won three main-draw matches, including two over seeded players. 

He was playing his 14th match in 19 days, and has yet to beat Nadal in five attempts. 

Nadal earned the only break of the third set to go up 6-5, then closed out the win on his third match point. He leapt in the air, tore off his headband and pumped his left arm, yelling, ''Yeah!'' 

''With all the problems, I was able to keep being focused and keep winning,'' he said. 

''I really appreciate every moment and every victory.'' 

The fifth-seeded Spaniard returned to the ATP Tour a month ago, winning two of three tournaments on clay after missing seven months with a left knee injury. Nadal, shaken by an earthquake that rattled Indian Wells on Monday, had a walkover in his third-round match when Leonardo Mayer withdrew with a bad back. 

''I said before the tournament my knee, some days good, some days not that good. Today so-so,'' he said. 

''But I fought. I fought every ball.''

Wawrinka's consecutive forehand errors in the gathering dusk of an unusually hot day in the California desert closed out his 10th consecutive loss to Federer on hard courts. 

Federer, a four-time champion at Indian Wells, is looking for his first ATP Tour title since last August. 

He'll have to get by Nadal in the earliest meeting between the two stars since the first time they played each other in 2004. 

''In the past, this match used to be a final. Now it's a quarterfinal, so obviously it's a bit of bad luck of the draw for both of us,'' Federer said, noting that between his bothersome back and Nadal's left knee ''we are both a bit suspect''. 

Nadal said he doesn't think his level of play is yet up to what he's normally capable of against Federer. 

''This match arrives too early for me to go to the match with the feeling that I can play equal conditions,'' he said. 

''Two weeks ago, I didn't know if I would be able to be here. Being in quarterfinals is a fantastic result for me, and we'll see.'' 

Second-ranked Federer improved to 13-1 against the 18th-seeded Wawrinka, who was broken twice in the final set played in front of tennis great Rod Laver. 

''I don't know what gets me through. Maybe it's the experience or maybe a bit more calm in those moments,'' Federer said. 

''Today I think I was a little lucky to come through it.'' 

Federer was broken once in the third set after telling the chair umpire he didn't have enough time to challenge the call on his first serve. He lost that argument and the game, but broke Wawrinka back to tie it 3-3. 

From there, both players held until Federer broke Wawrinka at love in the last game. Federer tweaked his back in his fourth-round match and was glad to have Tuesday off to recover. 

''I played three sets over two hours, so I'm happy at what level I can compete,'' he said. 

''I'm hopeful that it's going to feel a bit better again tomorrow, another step forward.'' 

Wawrinka's lone win against Federer came four years ago on clay in Monte Carlo. 

''I'm not the only guy who beat him only once. A lot of people never beat him. He's Roger. He's amazing player. He always find a way to win the match,'' Wawrinka said. 

stuff.co.nz

Roger Federer into fourth round at Indian Wells

Second seed Roger Federer was caused few problems by Ivan Dodig as he raced into the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells - but there was a minor scare in the form of some back pain.

Dodig started out well, but once his illustrious opponent had broken there was little fight from the Croatian, ranked 60th in the world, and Federer sprinted to a 6-3 6-1 win in 61 minutes, with a back twinge in the penultimate game doing nothing to slow him down.

"I'm happy with the way im playing," Federer, who had never previously played Dodig, told Sky Sports 2. "I found my way at the end of the first. The beginning of the second I started to play better."

Dodig immediately brought up three break points in the first game of the match, but former world number one Federer won five points in a row to hold.

The set went with serve until game eight, when Dodig handed Federer a set point with a double fault, then threw in a second to surrender the game.

Dodig saved three set points, the first with an exquisite backhand drop shot, but it was fourth time lucky for Federer when his opponent sent a return wide.

That seemed to break the resistance of the Croatian, and Federer broke to open up the second set, then again in game three for a 3-0 lead.

Dodig finally held to get on the board at 4-1, but it was the tiniest flicker of resistance as, in the Croatian's next service game, Federer brought up two match points and another double fault proved decisive.

The only worry for Federer was a slight twinge in his back near the end of the match.

"I felt a little something in my back at the end," he said. "I'll just have to check it out and hopefully I'll be fine for the next match."

Next up for Federer is an all-Swiss clash with his friend and Davis Cup team-mate Stanislas Wawrinka, who overcame a battling Lleyton Hewitt 6-4 7-5.

Wawrinka broke through in game five when he showed good touch at the net, then kept control on his serve to leave Hewitt serving to stay in the set at 5-3.

The Australian held, then forced three break points in the next game, but Wawrinka won five points in a row - with the help of a HawkEye overrule which left Hewitt furious - and took the set 6-4.

The pair traded breaks in the second, but Hewitt could not match his opponent's big shots and the Swiss broke again to take the match.

theindependent.co.uk

Roger Federer moves into third round at Indian Wells

Switzerland's Roger Federer reached the third round of the BNP Paribas Open Tennis Championship in Indian Wells as the world no. 2 defeated Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. Federer is defending champion and 4-times winner of the Indian Wells Championships.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner needed just two minutes less than an hour as he broke his opponent 4 times, served 3 Aces and never faced a break point in the 58 minutes match.

This was world no. 43, Istomin's 4th meeting with the former world no. 1 and he was unable to take a set once again, like all three previous meeting. 

Federer was very happy with a good start and hopes that he will maintain the same level. His was satisfied that he never gave a chance to his opponent and dominated the play throughout.

"It felt good from the start and was able to maintain that level of play," said Federer. "I never thought he got into the match at all. That gives you obviously even more confidence."

21-times ATP World Tour Masters winner Roger Federer is currently tied with Spain's Rafael Nadal and needs one more title to become all-time leader. He will potentially face Rafael Nadal in the Quarterfinals. 

Federer would also be bidding to reach his first ATP tournament final of the year as he lost in the semifinals at Australian Open, semifinals in Dubai and Quarterfinals in Rotterdam. If he fails to reach finals here, he might lose his world no. 2 ranking to Britain's Andy Murray.

tennisworldusa.org

Roger Federer possibly to meet Nadal at Indian Wells

Indian Wells, California:  Roger Federer, with two unsuccessful title defences behind him already this year, is eager to reverse that trend at the Indian Wells Masters.

The Swiss great, seeded second in the first of the ATP's elite Masters events of 2013 behind world number one Novak Djokovic, missed out on retaining titles in Rotterdam and Dubai.

In Rotterdam he fell to France's Julien Benneteau in the quarter-finals, while in Dubai he failed to convert three match points in a semi-final loss to Tomas Berdych.

But Federer didn't seem to think it was time to panic as he assessed his season so far on Thursday.

"I think I played really well in Australia," he said of his semi-final run in the Australian Open. "Rotterdam, I was disappointed with. I felt I could have done better.

"Dubai was a bit unfortunate, losing with three match points and having to explain the loss when you feel you should be preparing for the final.

"What happened, happened. I’m playing fine. Obviously I hoped to have won a tournament by now, but I’m happy with my game."

The hard courts of the California desert have been fertile ground for Federer. His victory over American John Isner in last year's final made him the first to win the men's title at this combined WTA and ATP event four times.

In his second-round opener on Saturday, Federer will face Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, who defeated Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 on Thursday.

But Federer could face a major hurdle in the quarter-finals, where he's projected to meet familiar foe Rafael Nadal.

Nadal is seeded fifth as he continues his return from a seven-month injury absence.

"I only just saw him yesterday after my practice. I was really excited to see him again," Federer said. "We hadn’t had much contact. I think he wanted to get away from it all, which I really understand."

Third-seeded US Open champion Andy Murray noted it would be odd to see Nadal and Federer squaring off in the quarters.

"Seeing him in the same quarter as Roger is probably something that hasn't happened in nine or 10 years," Murray said, as he, too, said he was glad to see Nadal back in action.

"I think whichever tournament he plays he adds a lot of value," Murray said.

ndtv.com

Players speak on Martina Hingis Hall of Fame induction

NEW YORK -- Martina Hingis will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this June.

It seems just as premature as her retirement.

That’s not a slight; I just always wanted to see more of Hingis. She reigned over the WTA Tour for three brief years, in the dusk before the era of the power hitters dawned. When Venus and Serena Williams were just taming their tennis legs, Hingis was the cagey antidote. Her game was clever to the point of being humorous, and her precocious confidence was either charming or, depending on your point of view, irritating.

Hingis won five Grand Slam titles -- including three, all but the French Open, in 1997 -- with her crafty game. She could handle the power of that era, and was quick to mix in slice, placement and drop shots that left her opponents outplayed and outwitted.

“I’m happy for her, she obviously had a Hall of Fame career,” Serena Williams said after the announcement. “She had a great game and achieved so much at such an early age, did so much for the sport, inspired me a lot to play. We’ve had a lot of tough matches. It was definitely inevitable and I think she’s so young to be in Hall of Fame, it’s pretty awesome.”

Hingis never won the French Open despite reaching the final in 1997 and ’99. Her loss to Steffi Graf in ’99 was epic. Hingis was the villain for the crowd, and was three points away from the title before an epic meltdown.

Hingis had those moments. She offended gays and straight people alike when she accused Amelie Mauresmo, a lesbian, of being “half a man.” She could be insensitive and petulant. When the U.S. Open came to New York every year, reporters would offer her a chance to tee off on the Williams sisters, which occasionally she did.

How much of it was genuine and how much a show, it’s hard to say.

It must have been frustrating for her to see the game pass her by. Listed at a generous 5-foot-7 and 130 pounds, Hingis’ small frame just couldn’t produce the massive serves needed to dislodge Serena and Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters and the power hitters who followed.

A foot injury made retooling her game even harder, although she kept winning doubles titles with partner Anna Kournikova. A positive test for trace amounts of cocaine -- which Hingis never admitted to using -- led to a two-year ban starting in 2008, which effectively caused her retirement at 27. It seemed a double standard was at work given Richard Gasquet’s positive test for the same drug around that time led to a 2½-month ban. He claimed he must have ingested the substance during a kiss at a nightclub.

However she ultimately left, the game missed Hingis.

“It was a loss for tennis,” former player and tennis analyst Patrick McEnroe told espnW. “And you see this happen a little more on the women’s side with her, Justine [Henin], [Jennifer] Capriati. They’re really almost professionals at 13, 14. It also lets you know how impressive what Venus and Serena have been able to do is.”

Had Hingis been able to play her error-free game against the power hitters for just a little longer, who's to say what might have happened? She might not have won any more majors, but what great matches could have been produced.

But it did not happen. So now at age 32, Hingis will take her place this June in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. It is where she belongs, though I can’t help but wish there had been a less abrupt ending to her career. It feels too soon to venerate a comet of a career that fell from the sky too soon.

espngo.com

Ugh, why do journalist always have this incessant need to illustrate all the bad stuff from Hingis's past. I don't see the point of it other then giving a more negative perspective on the player.

Also I thought the induction was in early July not June, hate it when some publications can't seem to agree on their facts.

Martina Hingis, Cliff Drysdale International Hall of Fame inductees

Five-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Hingis heads the 2013 class for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The other new members of the Hall announced Monday are Cliff Drysdale, Charlie Pasarell, and Ion Tiriac. Australian player Thelma Coyne Long's election was announced earlier.

Hingis won a total of 15 major titles, including nine in women's doubles and one in mixed. The first came at Wimbledon in women's doubles in 1996, at the age of 15 years, 9 months, making her the youngest Grand Slam champion in tennis history.

The Swiss player also was the youngest woman to reach No. 1 in the WTA singles rankings, getting there in March 1997 at 16 1/2, and spent a total of 209 weeks in the top spot. Hingis spent 35 weeks at No. 1 in doubles.

In 1997, Hingis won singles titles at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments — the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open — and lost in the final of the French Open. She was honoured as the WTA Tour Player of the Year and the AP Female Athlete of the Year.

Hingis, often troubled by foot injuries, retired for the second time in 2007, when she was given a two-year suspension for testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. Hingis denied taking the drug but did not appeal the ruling.

She finished with 43 titles in singles and 37 in doubles. Her singles record was 548-133. Hingis also led Switzerland to its only Fed Cup final in 1998 before losing to Spain.

Hingis was elected in the recent player category, while Drysdale, Pasarell and Tiriac entered the Hall in the contributor category.

Two nominees who were not elected: 1991 Wimbledon champion Michael Stich and Helena Sukova. One of Sukova's nine Grand Slam titles in women's doubles came at Wimbledon in 1996 with Hingis.

Drysdale was a player in the 1960s and 1970s who reached a career-high ranking of No. 4, then helped start the ATP men's tour, serving as its first president from 1972-74. He has been an ESPN tennis announcer since its first telecast of the sport, a U.S.-Argentina Davis Cup meeting in 1979.

Pasarell also was a player, including a college champion at UCLA and a member of the U.S. Davis Cup team, before helping grow the sport. Like Drysdale, he was a key figure at the start of the ATP. Passarell was long associated with the tournament at Indian Wells, California.

Following his own playing career, which included the 1970 French Open men's doubles title, Tiriac has held key roles as a coach, player manager and tournament promoter. His most noted client was Hall of Fame member Boris Becker.

The induction ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island, will be July 13.

cbc.ca

I am so happy Cliff Drysdale is included in this list I still miss him as a commentator (he truly was one of the most informed, fun and enthusiastic commentators of the sport). 

And of course a respected player in his own right so congrats to them both! :)

Roger Federer out of Dubai Open courtesy of Berdych

Dubai:  Roger Federer's defence of the Dubai Open title came to a dramatic end in the semi-finals after he failed to convert three match points against Tomas Berdych, the man who also upset him in the US Open.

The world number six from the Czech Republic thrillingly turned the match around after a neck-and-neck second set tie-break, going on to win 3-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 against the five-time champion and set up a final against Novak Djokovic.

The Serbian world number one extended his unbeaten run to 17 matches and reached the 55th final of his career with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win over Juan Martin Del Potro, the former US Open champion from Argentina.

Federer was on the verge of success at 6-4 and 8-7 in the tie break, with the second of the three points coming on his serve, only for Berdych to somehow get into a rally and win it with some fierce ground strokes.

One break of serve halfway through the final set then proved decisive, as Federer gambled more and more on rushing the net instead of continuing the bruising baseline exchanges which characterised the first two sets.

"It's obviously unfortunate, you know," said Federer, for whom this is a tournament in his second home. "Pity to lose that one, but Tomas did well to hang in there.

"Obviously I leave this match with a lot of regrets I'm feeling: serving for the match, with the serve, having chances in the beginning of the second, you know, when he wasn't quite in the match yet, to go break up, you know, set and a break, you know, a few points where things just didn't happen for me."

Of his best chance, the second match point, Federer said: "That's just disappointing right there, because the match was in my racket.

"You do all the right things for so long, and then at the end you've got to explain why you didn't hit two shots decent, you know. So it's disappointing."

Berdych was pleased that he avoided the perils of tension in the later stages, as he closed the match out.

"Staying calm is definitely the big thing I have been working on," he said. "And I am still working on it, especially with the serve. When I serve well I can do a lot of damage."

ndtvsports