Nikola Mektic and Horacio Zeballos arrived at the first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year having played just one prior tournament as a team. But on Saturday evening, the Croat-Argentine duo defeated sixth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 4-6, 6-4, 10-3 to win the BNP Paribas Open.

“Oh my God, we won Indian Wells!” Mektic said when given the microphone during the trophy ceremony.

In the second round, it appeared that Mektic and Zeballos might be ousted early, facing two match points in a Match Tie-break against top seeds and Australian Open champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. But the unseeded pair survived and never looked back, defeating fifth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah in the quarter-finals and the 2018 year-end No. 1 ATP Doubles Team, Oliver Marach/Mate Pavic, in the semi-finals.

“[It’s] a little bit unreal. We’re still looking at each other and just repeating, ‘Did we just win’?” Mektic said.

“[It’s] unbelievable,” Zeballos said. “And being in the big [press] conference [room], it’s great. I’ve never been in this room. I love it.”

Twenty of the 32 singles seeds played doubles in Indian Wells, but none reached the final. Instead, Mektic and Zeballos won an impressive 40 per cent of their return points against Kubot and Melo to triumph after one hour and 28 minutes. 

Perhaps the key moment came on set point in the second set for Mektic and Zeballos. It was deuce, which on the ATP Tour is deciding point in doubles. Melo, who was dominant at net for much of the match, hit a volley into the net from just inches away, evening the match at a set apiece. Mektic and Zeballos were perfect on serve in the Match Tie-break to clinch the victory. They add 1,000 ATP Doubles Ranking points to their total, and split $457,290 in prize money.

Mektic and Zeballos have not discussed the future of their partnership yet — they combined after their full-time partners got hurt. But it’s safe to say that Mektic’s second Masters 1000 title and Zeballos’ first showed the world what they’re capable of as a pair.

“We are a great team. We can beat anyone,” Mektic said. “Especially on this tournament where [the difference in] every match is a few balls, a few points will decide who’s going to win. Of course you’re not expecting to win, but we were going into every match confident that we can win, so we just went step by step and it happened.”

Kubot and Melo will be disappointed to not lift their fifth Masters 1000 trophy, but they still gain 600 points and a share of $223,170.

“They had the toughest draw possible,” Melo said. “They beat all the best teams in the world.”

Did You Know?
Before Mektic (Croatia) and Zeballos (Argentina), no Croatian or Argentine had ever won the BNP Paribas Open doubles title (since 1976).

It’s not every day that you get more than one Top 5 player in the ATP Rankings on the same court. It’s certainly rare to have multiple players who have held top spot across the net. But on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open, three current or former World No. 1s took to Stadium 1 in Indian Wells.

After second seed Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to right knee pain ahead of his semi-final against five-time champion Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras took on John McEnroe and Tournament Director Tommy Haas, who climbed as high as World No. 2, in a special doubles exhibition.

While Haas and McEnroe defeated Djokovic and Sampras 4-3(4), the real winners were the fans in the California desert. This was not a scheduled exhibition, but after Federer spoke to the crowd, fans were promised a surprise and the tournament delivered.

“After we heard Rafa wasn’t going to be able to play, we wanted to make sure our fans got something fun,” Haas said in a statement. “We started making some calls and Novak was willing to come over. Pete was here for the Raonic and Thiem match, and John is in town because he is making an announcement with BNP Paribas tomorrow. They all just said, ‘how can I help?’ And that shows what incredible people they are. “

Those in attendance cheered after every point, as guest chair umpire Jon Lovitz, an American comedian, provided commentary throughout. Actor Ben Stiller was also in the stands and was asked who he was rooting for.

“The old guys,” Stiller joked, because according to him, he’s also “an old guy”.

Did You Know?
Djokovic lost in the third round of singles at the BNP Paribas Open, but the Serbian advanced to the semi-finals of the doubles draw with Italian Fabio Fognini.

Dominic Thiem’s first priority when he steps on Stadium 1 Sunday for the BNP Paribas Open championship match against Roger Federer will be to lift his first ATP Masters 1000 title. But that’s not all that’s at stake for the Austrian.

Thiem can return to his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 4 if he lifts the trophy. The 25-year-old has been World No. 8 since 29 October. But regardless of his result against Federer, Thiem, will return to the Top 5 for the first time since January 2018.

With a victory, Thiem will earn 1,000 points, which would be his second-highest point total for a single tournament in his career. The Austrian earned 1,200 points for reaching the Roland Garros final last season.

Projected Top 5 On 18 March If Thiem Wins Indian Wells

The seventh seed’s performance in Indian Wells will give him an opportunity to gain even more ground next week at the Miami Open presented by Itaú. Last year, Thiem withdrew from the year’s second Masters 1000 tournament due to an ankle injury he suffered in Indian Wells. Therefore, he has no points to defend in Miami.

World No. 4 Federer began the tournament needing to reach the quarter-finals to have any chance of remaining inside the Top 5. But the 37-year-old Swiss is into the final in Indian Wells for the fifth straight time (he did not compete in 2016). Federer and Thiem are in essence battling for the fourth spot in the ATP Rankings. Federer only has 10 points to defend in Miami, since he lost to Thanasi Kokkinakis in his opening-round match last year.

Projected Top 5 On 18 March If Federer Wins

Dominic Thiem is on a mission this week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, with his sights set on a first ATP Masters 1000 crown. Having dropped just one set en route to the final, he will face Roger Federer in Sunday’s championship.

While Thiem is highly driven and a passionate competitor between the lines, he carries that same attitude to his endeavors off the court. The Austrian is looking to make the world a better and safer place, rallying behind a cause that is close to his heart: helping the environment.

Thiem supports an organisation called ‘4ocean’, which strives to preserve the world’s oceans and create a more habitable ecosystem for marine life. In less than two years, they have removed more than four million pounds of trash from oceans and coastlines.

“It’s a really good cause. It’s one of the biggest problems nowadays that we face, with all the plastic pollution. I love nature and I’m trying to support this whenever I can. I really hope to attend one of their cleanups and help. It would really be a dream for me.”

Thiem discusses why supporting the environment is so important to him in this ATP My Story delivered by FedEx.

What’s not to like about @ThiemDomi…#BNPPO19 pic.twitter.com/G9Kgpar5Vh

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 16, 2019

Saturday’s BNP Paribas Open semi-final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal wasn’t meant to be, but the Swiss star believes they’ll have another chance to share the court.

Federer expected it to be business as usual when he warmed up for their Indian Wells clash and heard Nadal was on a separate practise court. But a couple of hours before they were slated to battle on Stadium 1, the Spaniard was forced to withdraw due to right knee pain.

“Rafa texted me a message saying ‘It’s not going to be possible, my knee is not well.’ It’s definitely a big letdown because I know the anticipation [for the match] was there and the tension was so high for the both of us,” said Federer. “I’m obviously excited to be in the final, but not this way. He was playing some of his best tennis again, so I was looking forward to the match and I’m sorry it didn’t happen.”

Nadal still leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head Series 23-15, but they haven’t faced off since the 2017 Shanghai Rolex Masters. The two titans are in the twilight of their careers, so the opportunities for them to play each other are less frequent. As Federer continues his 21st year on tour and Nadal his 18th, it’s only natural for fans to wonder when their last match will be.

But with both men still playing high-quality tennis, Federer is optimistic they’ll put themselves in position to meet again.

“We’ve had so many epic battles and I know every match we have now could be our last. Was this our chance for the last one? I really hope not,” said Federer. “I believe at the level he’s playing and that I’m still going at, there’s going to be more. But if we keep staying up high in the [ATP Rankings], it’s more of a challenge to get to each other in the draw as well.”

Federer is now one match away from a record sixth Indian Wells title as he gets ready to face Dominic Thiem on Sunday. He was just one point away last year from taking sole ownership of the record he shares with Novak Djokovic, but missed three championship points in a heartbreaking third-set tie-break loss to Juan Martin del Potro.

Although Federer has put himself in the same position 12 months later, he won’t be logging in any extra hours on the court in spite of Nadal’s withdrawal.

“I’ve hit so much the last few weeks that I’m happy to save my knees for my body, to be honest,” joked Federer. “We don’t have much time off, so when you do get an afternoon off, you put your feet up, take a massage and spend some time with the family. It’s a big final for me, especially after the tough loss last year…but I’m feeling good and ready to go.”