Tennis News

The second of back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 events kicks off on Wednesday. The Miami Open will be without Roger Federer who chose not to compete while Marin Cilic is the only other top 20 player not available this week.

Novak Djokovic secured his 21st career Masters title with a three set win over Federer at Indian Wells over the week, overcoming a second set collapse to take victory. Without the World No.2, the Serbian’s case for favouritism becomes even stronger as he edges closer to the 27 titles (and counting) record set by Rafael Nadal.

With Martin Klizan or Paolo Lorenzi unlikely to put up much of a fight, even on a court like Miami’s, it will be up to Gilles Muller to pose the first threat. The Luxembourger does already have three top 20 wins to his name but came up short on each occasion against the top 10 this year. One of these was against Djokovic at the Australian Open, which Djokovic was a 6-4 7-5 7-5 victor in.The four times winner is 19-2 on the year and would be projected to face an opponent  in round four whom he lost to on their last meeting. 16th seed Tommy Robredo was a straight sets winner in Cincinnati but is 2-6 overall against the Serbian. Robredo will likely need to beat Alexandr Dolgopolov (faces Ricardas Berankis) and Pablo Cuevas to make it to the fourth round. Cuevas won the only meeting between he and Robredo but that was on the clay of Umag last year.

Aside from Federer in Dubai, Ivo Karlovic is the only player to defeat Djokovic this year. The big serving Croatian was broken just once in a 6-7 7-6 6-4 win in Doha. At 36, Karlovic is closing in on the top 20 with only second round points to defend this week. He begins with a qualifier with 12th seed Gilles Simon likely waiting in round three. He is 2-2 against the Frenchman although their most recent meeting was four years ago. Simon made the round of 16 last week in Indian Wells but lost fairly routinely to Rafael Nadal to exit from the competition.

After a 19-1 run to begin the year, David Ferrer finally ran out of steam at Indian Wells. He was a straight sets loser to Bernard Tomic, an opponent he had dealt with handily in the past. One of Ferrer’s 19 wins on the year was against Karlovic on his way to the Doha title, the first of three so far this year.

With the withdrawal of Roger Federer, a shift in seedings sees Kei Nishikori move into one of the top four spots. If both make the semi finals, he and Novak Djokovic will face each other outdoors for the first time since Nishikori’s shock US Open semi final win. Mikail Youzhny looks to extend a 5-1 head to head over Andrey Golubev with the winner taking on Nishikori. Viktor Troicki squeezes in as the 32 seed for the final bye but Marcos Baghdatis and Simone Bolelli are hardly easy opponents in round two, especially given Troicki was defeated in straights by Albert Ramos last time out.

An intriguing clash between two of the 2014 ATP World Tour Awards winners can play out if both seeds make the third round. Most Improved Player Roberto Bautista Agut plays a qualifier while David Goffin (Comeback Player of the Year) will begin against Borna Coric or Andreas Haider Maurer.

Some notable names complete the rest of the top half, headed by Milos Raonic who will look to reignite his rivalry with Nishikori. It is one that Nishikori leads 5-2 although they have split a pair in 2015 after Nishikori won in Davis Cup action this month, needing 5 sets to do so. Raonic has six losses on the year but only one has come against a player outside the top 10 – Simone Bolelli in Marseille. Raonic is 5-0 against projected 3rd round opponent Jeremy Chardy while the other two potential opponents in Ryan Harrison and Jurgen Melzer both have wins over the Canadian on American hard courts.

John Isner bounced back somewhat at Indian Wells with a run to the 4th round, losing to Djokovic in straight sets. He opens with either Pablo Carreno Busta or Andrey Rublev. Rublev will be taking part in his first Masters 1000 event after an impressive Junior run last year. A win over Carreno Busta may be possible but Isner should be a step too far for the young Russian. In what will be just his fourth match in over a year, Juan Martin Del Potro will face Vasek Pospisil. A mini-comeback in Sydney proved futile and just further put back his return as he was unable to compete in Melbourne without the possibility of pain. 9th seed Grigor Dimitrov plays the winner of this match.

Stanislas Wawrinka has never gone beyond the fourth round in Miami in six attempts but will have his best chance so far as the no.7 seed. Highly rated Aussie wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis made a bit of a splash at Indian Wells with a run to the fourth round but he will have his work cut out in round two assuming he can see off Carlos Berlocq. Adrian Mannarino is another off a fourth round appearance there, having his run ended by Andy Murray.

Mannarino was unseeded last week as a winner over Gulbis and Fabio Fognini who, although unlikely, he could meet in round four. Fognini’s hard court form continues to be poor for a player nearing the top 20 and he could be a target for Jack Sock in round two. Sock won three matches from a set down at Indian Wells, most impressively against Roberto Bautista Agut, before losing to Roger Federer in straight sets. 10th seed Feliciano Lopez picked up an impressive victory over Kei Nishikori before succumbing to Andy Murray at Indian Wells. The Spaniard has a fairly straightforward opener, facing either Dominic Thiem or Diego Schwartzman.

Andy Murray had a fairly easy time on his way to the semi finals at Indian Wells but his struggles against the elite continued, with him still remaining winless against the rest of the Big 4 since Wimbledon 2013. Djokovic being in the opposite side of the draw is a bonus but Murray was still blasted off the court by Wawrinka on the last two occasions they met, winning 12 games over 5 sets. He opens against either Donald Young or Yen-Hsun Lu, the former of which he beat in Davis Cup action very recently.

An all-Brit third round is possible, albeit unlikely, with Kyle Edmund facing a qualifier for the opportunity to play Santiago Giraldo. The Colombian is 8-15 on hard courts over the past year though, which should be a confidence booster for whoever takes him on in round two. 15th seed Kevin Anderson seems the most likely opponent for Murray in round four with Sam Querrey and Leonardo Mayer the expected opponents between him and the World No.4.

The final quarter is headed by Rafael Nadal who looks to bounce back after his quarter final, match-point up loss to Milos Raonic. His road to the final is paved with Spaniards with Nicolas Almagro possibly up first, although on his day Sergiy Stakhovsky can be a tough opponent. Fernando Verdasco awaits in round three if he can defeat a qualifier while the two seeds he could face in round four are either Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or an out of form Ernests Gulbis. Gulbis did manage to win his first match of the year but given he was then sent out in straights by Adrian Mannarino in the next round, it seems to say more about his opponent Daniel Gimeno Traver than suggest any return to form.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will play his first match of the year against a qualifier or Tim Smyczek. Smyczek comes into the tournament in decent form after making the final of a strong Irving Challenger. Gael Monfils could also face a qualifier in round two, with Dusan Lajovic the alternative.

A run to the quarter finals at Indian Wells, including a win over David Ferrer, suggested good things are to come for Bernard Tomic only for him to have to withdraw from the event. He likely should be fine and has a good chance to reach a career high ranking this week if he can win a few matches. Denis Istomin or a qualifier is up first but Tomas Berdych will be a tough ask in round three. The Czech is 3-0 against Tomic although they have never met in a three set format.

Following a week filled with injury woes and a personal tragedy, Simona Halep triumphed at the Indian Wells event, where she won the biggest WTA title of her career with a three-set victory over Jelena Jankovic on Sunday.

While many anticipated smooth sailing for Halep en route to the title, Jankovic proved to be a durable adversary, as she snatched the opening set following two breaks to set the upset. However, Halep eventually worked her way back into the match and overcame a long 62-minute second set to win the match 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.

“First of all I want to congratulate Jelena – you were amazing,” Halep said. “Well done for a great two weeks here. You did a great job, and it was an amazing final. I’m really happy I could win today.

“This is my biggest title and I will never forget it.”

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This week also happened to be an impressive one for Jankovic, who was reborn in the American desert, where she managed to overcome her tempestuous 12-month injury plague to reach the final of the tournament. The past year saw her drop from world No. 6 to No. 21 but she will now return to the Top 20. It will also serve as a confidence boost for the next few months.

“I was limping three days before the tournament started,” Jankovic said, referring to a hip injury she suffered recently in Doha. “I was actually in doubt if I could even play. When I came to these courts, on the first day I hadn’t hit a ball for 10 days. I was hitting, but I was standing. I was not moving.

The Miami Open begins next week as part of back-to-back Masters 1000/Premier Mandatory events following on the back of Indian Wells. The agency IMG owns the tournament which sees the wildcards offered take a different shape to most with few local players recipients. Many of the top young players in the game represented by the company will therefore take part in the event.

Ryan Harrison is the biggest name to get one for the main draw. It will be the fifth occasion in six years that Harrison has received a wildcard despite winning just two matches at the event in that time frame. 20 year-old Brit Kyle Edmund has begun to make an impression on the Challenger Tour at least, winning a title in Hong Kong while most recently making the quarter finals in a strong Irving draw.

At 18, Korea’s Hyeon Chung will make his debut in the main draw. Chung has taken advantage of Challenger events in Asia and Australia to move into the top 130. In February, he made consecutive finals in Burnie and Launceston winning the former before losing in three sets in Launceston to Bjorn Fratangelo.

Junior World No.1 and French Open champion Andrey Rublev rounds off the list. After picking up a number of titles at Futures level, the Russian was a quarter finalist in his first Challenger tournament while also picking up the Doubles title. A win over Dudi Sela in Delray Beach was his first at ATP level but Steve Johnson was a step too far in the following round.

Two of the qualifying wildcards go to junior slam winners in Gianluigi Quinzi (Wimbledon 2013) and Omar Jasika (2014 US Open). Elias Ymer qualified for his first grand slam this year beating the aforementioned Chung while Taro Daniel looks to qualify for his fifth ATP event. He made the quarter finals of Vina Del Mar in 2014 but was a first round loser in the other three attempts. Michael Mmoh is a top 10 junior with wins over Rublev and Jasika last year while also picking up a Futures title in Brownsville, Texas.

The Women’s draw is headed by two notable names in Sorana Cirstea and Nicole Vaidisova. Cirstea has plummeted down the rankings to outside the top 140 from a career high of 21 just over 18 months ago. A two times slam semi finalist in his first career, Vaidisova announced a comeback late last year. She is yet to make much of an impact, her best performance being a semi final of a $100,000 ITF event. Her first WTA level match back was a straight sets loss to Ana Ivanovic as a qualifier in Monterrey.

CiCi Bellis made a name for herself at last year’s US Open with a shock three set win over no.13 Dominika Cibulkova at the age of just 15. Three $25,000 Futures titles show she has had no trouble with moving on up to the next level. She also held the junior no.1 spot but didn’t win a slam in 2014, losing her last attempt at the US Open to Natalia Vikhlyantseva, who is also a main draw wildcard here. The Russian is now inside the top 400 but her best tournament at pro level is only a semi final in a $25k event.

17 year-old Paula Badosa Gibert was a two times quarter finalist in Junior slams last year, contributing to her career high no.8 at that level. The Spaniard’s first attempt at WTA level was a failure to qualify to Antwerp, being defeated by Kateryna Bondarenko. Indy De Vroome had slightly more success in Belgium, qualifying and picking up a shock win over Tsvetana Pironkova in the process. She also troubled Dominika Cibulkova but could not maintain her level throughout in the three set loss.

Canada’s Francoise Abanda is a one time $25k title winner who is currently winless on the WTA Tour. She has competed well against the likes of Sabine Lisicki and Venus Williams while also taking a set from Cibulkova at the Canadian Open.

Laura Robson was supposed to head a list of those with qualifying wildcards but she has chosen to exercise further caution with regards to her comeback. Ranked outside the top 800 in May 2014, Oceane Dodin has risen up the rankings rapidly and showcased her ability with a win in her first Australian Open against Alison Riske while taking a set of Karolina Pliskova in Round 2 looks more impressive by the day.

At 24, Arantxa Rus looks an odd choice given her record in recent time. She is 7-6 at ITF level, with just one match coming at above $25k level. However, two wins in Fed Cup action over Magdalena Rybarikova and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova are impressive. Sachia Vickery has won two $25k events in the US this year while going 3-5 at tour level in the past year, with a 1-1 record in 2015.

Ipek Soylu of Turkey is a Junior Doubles slam champion while also winning seven times at ITF level, taking advantage of the year round events in Turkey and Egypt to rack up titles, although they are all $10,000 level. Hungarian Fanni Stollar was a top 20 junior who has been making her first steps into pro events this year. She was a finalist in Orlando $10k this week but was defeated by an even younger opponent in 14 year-old Claire Liu.

The top two players on the ATP World Tour, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will meet in the final of the final of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event on Sunday. This marks the 38th time that the two will cross paths on the professional tour, with the Federer vs Djokovic Head to Head standing at 20-17. He has also won their most recent meeting in Dubai several weeks ago.

Follow the final Live Here: Federer vs Djokovic Indian Wells Live Stream

Earlier in the day, top seed Novak Djokovic breezed past Andy Murray in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3 to secure his spot in the final. He has now won his last six consecutive matches against Murray. Djokovic won 70% of his second serve points, saved two break points and converted four of his own to close out the match in one hour and 28 minutes.

“Even though it’s a straight-set victory, I still had to earn it,” said Djokovic. “I thought that he didn’t play close to his highest level. He made a lot of unforced errors, especially from the forehand side. Low percentage of first serves in. That allowed me to obviously step in and be aggressive.”

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The second of the two semi-finals was a far more competitive affair, as Federer and Raonic went toe-to-toe until Federer found his opening late in the first set. The second set was a more confident one from Federer and he took advantage of an early break to secure the victory, 7-5, 6-4.

“I’m very happy [with] how well I’m playing,” said Federer. “[I] feel good physically. I feel refreshed after the holiday. I’m serving well, which is always crucial.”

The latest chapter in the remarkable rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will be written on Sunday afternoon at Indian Wells, as the two top competitors will cross paths once again in the final of the tournament. Federer won their most recent encounter several weeks ago in Dubai but this is a surface that has done wonders for Djokovic and he will look to avenge that loss and even the score in their 2015 series.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Three Sets

In an unexpected turn of events, the final of the 2015 Indian Wells event will not feature Serena Williams, as she was forced to withdraw from the event, thus allowing Simona Halep to advance to the championship match against Jelena Jankovic. This marks the fifth time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Halep leading the head to head series 3-1.

You can watch the match Live Here: Halep vs Jankovic Live Stream

It was a surprising twist when Serena walked out on court ahead of her semi-final match to announce her withdrawal from the tournament with a knee injury. Scheduled to play Halep, she opted to err on the side of caution and not take part in the match. Halep was disappointed not to play the No. 1 but is excited about the new challenge of facing Jankovic once again.

“She’s a tough player, tough opponent,” Halep said about Jankovic. “I’ve played many matches against her and every one was really difficult. I know I’ll have to run a lot, hit the balls strong and be aggressive. I will have to stay focused for every ball, too, because she’s going to be fighting until the end.”

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In an unlikely comeback that was one of her best in recent memory, as Jelena Jankovic rallied from a set down and twice overcame a break in the second set to defeat Sabine Lisicki in three sets and reach her first final in over a year.

“I just fought hard, stayed in the zone and took it one point at a time,” the former No.1 said. “Sabine has such a great serve. I had to be ready because anything can happen – she can come up with a really huge serve, then sometimes she takes off the pace, so I had to be ready for anything.”

This is set to be the fifth time that Halep and Jankovic cross paths on the WTA tour, with Halep leading the series 3-1. The Romanian lost their first meeting at the 2010 US Open and has since gone 3-0 against the Serb. Although it has been a tough week for Halep, she will likely conclude it with a new title on her mantle.

Prediction: Simona Halep in Three Sets

Check out all the live results Here; Live Tennis Scores and Results

While many were hoping that Rafael Nadal would reach the semi-final and set up classic match-up against his long-time rival, we will instead be offered an intriguing meeting between Roger Federer and Milos Raonic to determine who will advance to the tournament final. This marks the tenth time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Federer leading the head to head series 8-1.

You can watch the match Live Here: Federer vs Raonic Live Stream

In one of his best performances of the season, Roger Federer produced a dominant display of inspired tennis to thrash Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-0 in the quarter-final stage of the tournament. While the first set was a competitive one, Federer pounded on every opportunity in the second set, while Berdych faltered and added to his growing unforced errors count. In the second set alone, Federer struck 21 winners and won 88% of his first service points to close out the match in 68 minutes.

“I think I really played well off the baseline,” said Federer. “Because I was serving well and moving well, so maybe there is not going to be that many chances for him on the return as it is. But at least he could have stayed with me longer, and as the match goes on maybe he would have also found his groove better.

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Federer will come up against the No. 1 Canadian, who earned an inspired victory over world No. 3 Rafael Nadal to advance to his semi-final showdown. After dropping the opening set, Raonic went toe-to-toe with Nadal in the second set and beat him 12-10 in the tiebreak to force a decider. There, he broke in the decisive eleventh game to secure the win.

“At the moments when I was playing those match points, it didn’t really feel like match points,” said Raonic. “It was just like another point that I was trying to get through… [I was] just sort of going through the paces at that moment of what do I need to do now, not really signifying it as a match point.”

While Federer leads the overall head-to-head series 9-1, Raonic will be riding an immense wave of confidence after toppling world No. 3 Rafael Nadal. It will be interesting to see if he can summon the evergy to complete another potential three-setter and set up a final against another member of the Big Four. Therefore, given Federer’s energy conservation over the past few days, he will likely have the advantage against the Canadian on Saturday.

Prediction: Roger Federer in Three Sets

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