Filed under: Tennis
Novak Djokovic established himself as the man to beat in men's tennis at present after he fought back from a set down to stun Rafael Nadal in the final of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.The Serbian, who climbed to No. 2 in the world rankings by defeating Roger Federer in the last four, defeated Nadal 4-6 6-3 6-2 in a marathon match lasting two hours and 25 minutes.
It was the Serb's 18th victory and third tournament of the year, having already won the Australian Open and Dubai Championship, as well as his first triumph over world No. 1 Nadal in a final.
It was top seed Nadal who gained the early initiative, converting his fifth break point in game five only for Djokovic to break back immediately, however a poor service game from the new world No. 2 handed the advantage back to the muscular Mallorcan and he served out for the first set.
Suddenly, Nadal's first serve vanished - he managed to just get 25 per cent in - and it proved decisive as Djokovic, hailed as the best returner in the world right now by Richard Gasquet earlier in the week, levelled the match.
Videos - SENT OFF: Streaker Tackled | QUICK: Fastest Goal (Possibly) | OUCH: Handful Of A Man's Hurt
FHUK Galleries - WAGS: Still Relevant? | CHEEKY: Things Fans Write | KITS: Best Of The Lot | KITS: And The Worst
FHUK Galleries - WAGS: Still Relevant? | CHEEKY: Things Fans Write | KITS: Best Of The Lot | KITS: And The Worst
So often a strong finisher, Nadal's display deteriorated further in the decider and a double break from Djokovic, by now brimming with confidence, to go 4-0 ahead effectively ended the contest and he sealed the title by serving out to love.
Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki lived up to her world No. 1 status by defeating Marion Bartoli 6-1 2-6 6-3 to win the women's title.
No comments:
Post a Comment