15-03-2012, 04:11 PM
Roun up van de afgelopen dag:
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal dismissed No. 21 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-2 at the BNP Paribas Open Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals.
Nadal, the Indian Wells titlist in 2007 and 2009, saved all five break points he faced to improve to 3-0 against the Ukranian. All of their meetings have come at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events.
The Spaniard is aiming to win his first title of the season, having finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the longest Grand Slam final at the Australian Open. The 25 year old will look to advance into the semi-finals for the seventh consecutive year when he squares off against David Nalbandian in the final eight.
Nalbandian rallied to defeat sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes.
Tsonga served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, holding match point before double-faulting to hand Nalbandian the break back. From there, Nalbandian took command, winning all 12 of his first serve points in the final set to secure his first win over the Frenchman.
The Argentine is 2-3 versus Nadal, having dropped their past three meetings, all on hard courts.
What began as a cakewalk for Novak Djokovic turned into a challenge, with the World No. 1 required to work hard for a 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-2 win over unseeded Spaniard Pablo Andujar in fourth-round action Wednesday afternoon at the BNP Paribas Open.
The defending champion blitzed through the first set in under 30 minutes, but came under pressure in the second. He saved seven break points and two set points, before Andujar finally broke through to draw level.
Djokovic immediately resumed his lead, securing the break in the opening game of the third set. After facing down one more break point in the sixth game, he broke Andujar for a fifth time in five opportunities, and served out the match at love after two hours and 15 minutes.
The two-time Indian Wells champion will continue his title defense at the yearââ¬â¢s first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament against another Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro. The 12th-ranked Almagro convincingly defeated World No. 7 Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-0 to reach the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals for the first time.
Djokovic, who holds a 25-4 match record at this event, has defeated Almagro in their previous two meetings.
World No. 11 John Isner advanced to his first quarter-final in the Palm Desert, defeating qualifier Matthew Ebden 6-4, 7-5. Isner won 31 of his 35 first serve points, firing 10 aces past the Australian in the 75-minute victory.
"I felt very good out there and I started very well, but she was also playing tough," said Kerber. "I just tried to move very good and hit the balls deep in the court and also play aggressive tennis, focusing on me. I'm happy that I'm in the semis now."
The American is through to his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final eight, having reached the semi-finals in Paris last year (l. to Tsonga). He will take on No. 13 seed Gilles Simon, who topped wild card Ryan Harrison 7-6(0), 5-7, 6-1.
After blowing three match points in the second set, Simon found himself in trouble early in the third set, saving three break points in the third game. It proved to be a turning point, as he swept the final five games of the match to take the hard-fought win in two hours and 55 minutes.
"Those two games were very important, because I lost the second set, which I thought I had to win. It was tough for me on the court, as he had a good tactic and it was hard for me to win a single game," Simon told BNPParibasOpen.com. "I knew I had to hold serve, because I believed if I could get it to two hours and 30 minutes on court, I would be good and maybe he would get tired, and that's what happened. I managed to save those two games and go 3-1 up, and then he dropped down, and started to miss a lot. I maybe was a little bit lucky as it could have been 3-1 for him. But I'm very happy because when you lose the second set, it's not that easy to win the third one."
Simon and Isner have met just once, with Isner edging out a four-set win in the round of 16 at last year's US Open, winning three tie-breaks.
"I think it's going to be very difficult," Simon said. "Last time at the US Open, I had some opportuniites. It's a match where I should have been better. I know it will be difficult to be in the same position, but I hope that this time, if I am, I will finish it."
Three-time Indian Wells champion Roger Federer found himself down a set for the second straight match Wednesday, but rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Thomaz Bellucci in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Federer converted his third break of the match in the final game to advance in one hour and 41 minutes, securing his 73rd straight win against opponents ranked outside the Top 20 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings.
"I really struggled to make the transition [from yesterday's match]. I was quite surprised, but at the end I found a way, dug deep and came through," said Federer. "It's really important. At the end of the day, these are the wins that sort of almost feel better, to be quite honest, because when you're playing great, it's simple, and it's easy."
The Swiss is looking to win his first title at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden since lifting his third consecutive trophy in 2006. Federer has won 12 matches in a row, picking up titles in Rotterdam (d. del Potro) and Dubai (d. Murray).
The Swiss is looking to win his first title at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden since lifting his third consecutive trophy in 2006. In the final eight, Federer will square off against No. 9 seed Juan Martin del Potro.
The Argentine battled past Denis Istomin 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-2 in two hours and 45 minutes to return to the final eight for the second straight year. Unable to close out the match in straight sets, the former US Open champion regrouped in the third set, breaking Istomin twice to pull away for the win.
With the victory, Del Potro improved to 19-4 on the season. Three of his losses have come at the hands of Federer, who took victories in the Australian Open quarter-finals, the final in Rotterdam, and Dubai semi-finals.
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal dismissed No. 21 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-2 at the BNP Paribas Open Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals.
Nadal, the Indian Wells titlist in 2007 and 2009, saved all five break points he faced to improve to 3-0 against the Ukranian. All of their meetings have come at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events.
The Spaniard is aiming to win his first title of the season, having finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the longest Grand Slam final at the Australian Open. The 25 year old will look to advance into the semi-finals for the seventh consecutive year when he squares off against David Nalbandian in the final eight.
Nalbandian rallied to defeat sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes.
Tsonga served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, holding match point before double-faulting to hand Nalbandian the break back. From there, Nalbandian took command, winning all 12 of his first serve points in the final set to secure his first win over the Frenchman.
The Argentine is 2-3 versus Nadal, having dropped their past three meetings, all on hard courts.
What began as a cakewalk for Novak Djokovic turned into a challenge, with the World No. 1 required to work hard for a 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-2 win over unseeded Spaniard Pablo Andujar in fourth-round action Wednesday afternoon at the BNP Paribas Open.
The defending champion blitzed through the first set in under 30 minutes, but came under pressure in the second. He saved seven break points and two set points, before Andujar finally broke through to draw level.
Djokovic immediately resumed his lead, securing the break in the opening game of the third set. After facing down one more break point in the sixth game, he broke Andujar for a fifth time in five opportunities, and served out the match at love after two hours and 15 minutes.
The two-time Indian Wells champion will continue his title defense at the yearââ¬â¢s first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament against another Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro. The 12th-ranked Almagro convincingly defeated World No. 7 Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-0 to reach the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals for the first time.
Djokovic, who holds a 25-4 match record at this event, has defeated Almagro in their previous two meetings.
World No. 11 John Isner advanced to his first quarter-final in the Palm Desert, defeating qualifier Matthew Ebden 6-4, 7-5. Isner won 31 of his 35 first serve points, firing 10 aces past the Australian in the 75-minute victory.
"I felt very good out there and I started very well, but she was also playing tough," said Kerber. "I just tried to move very good and hit the balls deep in the court and also play aggressive tennis, focusing on me. I'm happy that I'm in the semis now."
The American is through to his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final eight, having reached the semi-finals in Paris last year (l. to Tsonga). He will take on No. 13 seed Gilles Simon, who topped wild card Ryan Harrison 7-6(0), 5-7, 6-1.
After blowing three match points in the second set, Simon found himself in trouble early in the third set, saving three break points in the third game. It proved to be a turning point, as he swept the final five games of the match to take the hard-fought win in two hours and 55 minutes.
"Those two games were very important, because I lost the second set, which I thought I had to win. It was tough for me on the court, as he had a good tactic and it was hard for me to win a single game," Simon told BNPParibasOpen.com. "I knew I had to hold serve, because I believed if I could get it to two hours and 30 minutes on court, I would be good and maybe he would get tired, and that's what happened. I managed to save those two games and go 3-1 up, and then he dropped down, and started to miss a lot. I maybe was a little bit lucky as it could have been 3-1 for him. But I'm very happy because when you lose the second set, it's not that easy to win the third one."
Simon and Isner have met just once, with Isner edging out a four-set win in the round of 16 at last year's US Open, winning three tie-breaks.
"I think it's going to be very difficult," Simon said. "Last time at the US Open, I had some opportuniites. It's a match where I should have been better. I know it will be difficult to be in the same position, but I hope that this time, if I am, I will finish it."
Three-time Indian Wells champion Roger Federer found himself down a set for the second straight match Wednesday, but rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Thomaz Bellucci in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Federer converted his third break of the match in the final game to advance in one hour and 41 minutes, securing his 73rd straight win against opponents ranked outside the Top 20 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings.
"I really struggled to make the transition [from yesterday's match]. I was quite surprised, but at the end I found a way, dug deep and came through," said Federer. "It's really important. At the end of the day, these are the wins that sort of almost feel better, to be quite honest, because when you're playing great, it's simple, and it's easy."
The Swiss is looking to win his first title at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden since lifting his third consecutive trophy in 2006. Federer has won 12 matches in a row, picking up titles in Rotterdam (d. del Potro) and Dubai (d. Murray).
The Swiss is looking to win his first title at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden since lifting his third consecutive trophy in 2006. In the final eight, Federer will square off against No. 9 seed Juan Martin del Potro.
The Argentine battled past Denis Istomin 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-2 in two hours and 45 minutes to return to the final eight for the second straight year. Unable to close out the match in straight sets, the former US Open champion regrouped in the third set, breaking Istomin twice to pull away for the win.
With the victory, Del Potro improved to 19-4 on the season. Three of his losses have come at the hands of Federer, who took victories in the Australian Open quarter-finals, the final in Rotterdam, and Dubai semi-finals.
Zelfs hier lukt het je nog niet om top 10 te eindigen...