Tennis: Teenager Andreescu stuns Kerber to win Indian Wells title

Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu stunned three-times Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber 6-4 3-6 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Open and capture her first career title in Indian Wells on Sunday.

Andreescu used creative and aggressive shot-making to defeat the German despite suffering with a troublesome right shoulder and leg cramps on a hot and sunny day in the Southern California desert.

The 18-year-old dropped her racket and fell on her back when Kerber hit a backhand into the net on match point to deliver the tournament wildcard the victory.

"It wasn't an easy match. It was one of the toughest matches I've ever played," she said in an on-court interview. "It's so incredible."

Andreescu would love to follow in the footsteps of world number one Naomi Osaka of Japan, who won the tournament last year before claiming the U.S. and Australian Open titles.

"The next is a Grand Slam. Let's see where this can take me," said the unseeded teenager who is ranked 60th in the world but will rise to 24th on Monday.

"Naomi did this last year. Now to have my name in front of so many champions it means the world to me."

Andreescu played fearlessly at the outset, breaking the former world number one in the opening game of the match and taking the first set.

The eighth seed battled back to claim the second and looked like she would cruise to the finish line when she broke to go up 3-2 in the third after Andreescu needed a medical time out to have her heavily taped right shoulder worked on by a trainer.

Momentum swung in Andreescu's direction when she broke back to level the set at 3-3 and held serve to love in the next game.

Nerves appeared to get to Andreescu near the end, when Kerber saved three match points behind some stout defence.

But Andreescu broke the German in the next game to claim the title and become the youngest woman to win at Indian Wells since 17-year-old Serena Williams in 1999.

"Hopefully this moment can be a great inspiration for many young athletes," she said.

"If you believe in yourself anything is possible. This moment has become a reality so it's really, really crazy."

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; editing by Clare Lovell and Ken Ferris)

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Tennis: Canadian teen Andreescu to face Kerber in Indian Wells WTA final

INDIAN WELLS -- Canadian sensation Bianca Andreescu toppled sixth-ranked Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 on Friday and will face Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber for the WTA title in Indian Wells.

Germany's Kerber, ranked eighth in the world, ended Belinda Bencic's 12-match winning streak with a 6-4, 6-2 victory to reach the final in the California desert for the first time in her third semi-final appearance.

Kerber won the last four games of the opening set and the last three games of the second to subdue Bencic, who was coming off her first WTA title in four years in Dubai.

The 22-year-old Swiss, whose career was disrupted by a string of back and wrist injuries, had beaten six top-10 players in her winning streak, including world number one and defending Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka in the fourth round here.

But she couldn't find a way past Kerber, who broke Bencic from 30-0 down in the final game of the opening set.

Kerber dropped her serve in the opening game of the second set, but broke Bencic twice to lead 3-1 before the Swiss clawed back another break.

But Kerber, taking full advantage of Bencic's 27 unforced errors in the match, won the next three games, to clinch it.

"It's always tough to play against Belinda," Kerber said. "She played so great in the past few weeks.

"I was trying to focus only on my side of the court. I was trying to play concentrated, and going for it when I had the chance.

"I really enjoy the semi-finals here - it was already twice here, and I'm really happy to be in the final for the first time now." 

Kerber, 31, will be playing 18-year-old Andreescu for the first time.

"I'm really looking forward to a really tough battle. She's here as a wild card, and she beat a lot of good players," Kerber said. "She has nothing to lose, she enjoys her tennis and she's a great player."

Andreescu, ranked 60th in the world after starting the year at 152, continued a stellar run that included a quarter-final victory over former world number one Garbine Muguruza.

She's the first wild card to reach the women's final at Indian Wells.

- Making history -

"It's incredible," she beamed when told of the achievement. "Another goal of mine was to make history and I just did."

"I really need a moment to soak this all in. This is just so incredible," an emotional Andreescu told the crowd. "This past week has been a dream come true."

Andreescu, who came through qualifying to reach the final at Auckland and made the semi-finals in Acapulco in February, had to dig deep to close it out against Svitolina, who saved on match point against her serve in the penultimate game to force Andreescu to serve it out.

It would take three more match points for a weary-looking Andreescu to succeed, when another baseline rally ended with Svitolina firing a forehand into the net.

"I really need a moment to soak all this in," said an emotional Andreescu, who was battling cramp in the closing games.

"I think the cramping was because I was so stressed out with everything," Andreescu said. "But I have had many moments like this in the past, playing Challenger events, juniors. Breathing really helps for me, so I took a lot of deep breaths and I tried not to get mad at myself. It really worked.

"It was a roller coaster," she said. "I'm really happy I pulled through."

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Tennis: Osaka, Halep sent packing from Indian Wells

Naomi Osaka followed Simona Halep through the exit door at the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday as the top two players in the world were sent packing in the fourth round at Indian Wells.

World number one Osaka never found her rhythm against Belinda Bencic as the Swiss used her precise groundstrokes and pinpoint serving to topple the defending champion 6-3 6-1 in just over an hour.

The 22-year-old Bencic, who has risen as high as world number seven before missing time with injuries, hit a forehand volley on match point to seal the win and send her into the quarter-finals, where she will face either Karolina Pliskova or Anett Kontaveit.

Bencic, the world number 23, has made a habit of upending top 10 players of late, defeating four en route to winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships last month.

Osaka's loss ended a bad day for world number ones after the men's top player, Serb Novak Djokovic, fell 6-4 6-4 to Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Earlier in the day, Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova ran Halep ragged before dumping the Romanian out of the tournament 6-2 3-6 6-2.

Halep, who received medical treatment for blisters on her foot during the match, won less than half of her first-service points and hit just six winners to go with 36 unforced errors.

"I was running too much and too defensive," the Romanian told reporters. "But it's everything I could do today."

Halep's loss ensured Osaka will retain her number one ranking after the tournament.

The win was 19-year-old Vondrousova's first over a top-10 player in six attempts.

"I think I'm playing well all week but this is something special because she's number two in the world," Vondrousova said. "I was just fighting for every point."

Another teenager, unseeded Canadian Bianca Andreescu, upset 18th seed Wang Qiang of China 7-5 6-2 to book her place in the quarters. The win was the 18-year-old Andreescu's 25th of the year, the most of any WTA player.

She will next face Garbine Muguruza after the Spaniard battled back to dispatch Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 5-7 6-1 6-4.

Ukrainian Elina Svitolina came from a break down in the third set to defeat Australian Ashleigh Barty 7-6(8) 5-7 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. 

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Toby Davis/Peter Rutherford)

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Tennis: Kerber overcomes qualifier to reach Indian Wells 4th round

INDIAN WELLS -- Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber came from a set down against qualifier Natalia Vikhlyantseva on Monday to reach the WTA Indian Wells fourth round.

Eighth-ranked Kerber, a two-time semi-finalist in the California desert, shook off a slow start to beat the 112th-ranked Russian 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.

After dropping her serve in the first game of the second set, Kerber won seven games in a row to force a third set and take a 2-0 lead in the decider.

She was unable to convert four match points against Vikhlyantseva's serve at 5-1 and was broken at love when serving for the match at 5-2 before finally putting it away.

"I think it gives me confidence that I can turn around matches, that I can play also three sets, also in the close moments that I'm there, that I can trust myself," said Kerber.

She said it was always difficult to face a player for the first time, and she'll be doing the same in the fourth round against Aryna Sabalenka, the ninth seed from Belarus who defeated Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 7-5.

Defending champion Naomi Osaka, whose Australian Open triumph propelled her to number one in the world, headlines the battles for a place in the round of 16 when she takes on American Danielle Collins in the night session on Stadium Court.

Osaka opened her campaign with a straight-sets victory over Kristina Mladenovic, avenging her shock loss to the French player at Dubai in February.

Collins is trying to build on a breakout run at the Australian Open, where she fell in the semi-finals to two-time Wimbledon champion Petro Kvitova.

Osaka won their only prior meeting in Beijing last year 6-1, 6-0, a result that left Collins eager for "another crack" at the world number one.

"There is no way it could go any worse for me," Collins said. "That's really as bad as it can get in terms of the score and how quickly the match went."

Fifth-seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova survived an off day to reach the round of 16 with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Belgian qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure.

"The only good thing was my serve today, with a lot of aces and service winners," Pliskova said. "Overall, I think my game was a bit bad. The conditions changed from my last match, but hopefully in the next match I can play better."

That will be against Estonian Anett Kontaveit, who was leading 5-0 against 11th-seeded Anastasija Sevastova when the Latvian retired from their match.

One day after 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams retired from her third round match because of illness, Venus Williams kept the family flag flying with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Christina McHale.

Williams pulled back a break in the second set to book a round of 16 clash with Mona Barthel, a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 winner over Julia Goerges in an all-German contest.

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Tennis: Illness ends Serena's Indian Wells bid, No. 2 Halep advances

INDIAN WELLS -- Serena Williams's first tournament since the Australian Open came to an abrupt end on Sunday as the ailing 23-time Grand Slam champion retired from her third-round WTA match against Garbine Muguruza at Indian Wells.

Muguruza was leading 6-3, 1-0 when Williams called it a day in the battle of former world number ones because of a viral illness.

"Before the match, I did not feel great, and then it just got worse with every second; extreme dizziness and extreme fatigue," Williams said in comments released via tournament organizers.

The 10th-seeded American, continuing to work her way back up the rankings in the wake of time off to have a baby, had made a strong start, winning the first three games.

But she called for the trainer after dropping six straight to Muguruza.

After a long talk with medical personnel Williams took the court for the second set, but after Muguruza held serve at love Williams called a halt.

"By the score, it might have looked like I started well, but I was not feeling at all well physically," Williams said. "I will focus on getting better and start preparing for Miami."

Muguruza, currently ranked 20th in the world, was sorry to see the match end the way it did, even though it put her through to a fourth-round meeting with seventh-seeded Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, a 7-6 (12/10), 6-4 winner over Britain's Johanna Konta.

"We've played many times and it's always super-tough, super-exciting," Muguruza said of Williams. "I wish I'm going to see her soon and feeling better."

In fact their five prior meetings all came in Grand Slams, the last two in finals. Williams beat the Spaniard for the Wimbledon title in 2015 and Muguruza walked off with the 2016 French Open crown.

It was a tough draw for Williams, who defeated former world number one Victoria Azarenka in her second-round opener.

World number two Simona Halep had her hands full with Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Kozlova but emerged with a 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 victory in her first meeting with the 114th-ranked player.

"It was really difficult against her because I never played against her -- it was a bit difficult to get a rhythm," Halep said.

There were service breaks aplenty as Halep and Kozlova traded four on the way to the first-set tiebreaker and four more to open the second set.

Halep's two holds -- sandwiched around another break of Kozlova's serve -- put the Romanian up 5-2 but she was broken serving for the match and needed one last break of Kozlova's serve in the final game to clinch it with a backhand up the line.

"When I was leading the match, she played without fear, I felt like she was playing much better in those games," Halep said.

"It was difficult for me to close those sets, but I'm actually proud that I could do that," added the Romanian.

Halep next faces 61st-ranked Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who followed up her win over 2018 finalist Daria Kasatkina with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.

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Tennis: Stephens stunned, Serena cruises at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Swiss qualifier Stefanie Vogele stunned world number four Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-0 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on Friday while Serena Williams got the better of Victoria Azarenka to advance.

Vogele needed just over an hour to dispatch the fourth-seeded Stephens and push her overall record to 4-1 against the 2017 U.S. Open champion, who committed her 32nd unforced error on match point when she sent a forehand wide.

"Obviously playing someone who you haven't done that well against in the past is a little bit rough," Stephens told reporters after the match, which was played amid high winds on a sunny day in the Southern California desert.

"It was windy but it was windy for both of us. I just didn't play a great match today."

Under the lights on the stadium court, Williams smashed 39 winners to defeat Azarenka 7-5 6-3 in a rematch of the 2016 final, which the Belarusian won.

"I truly love her, she's a really good friend," 23-times Grand Slam champion Williams said.

"She's a fellow mom and a former number one, just like me.

"It's hard to play someone you're so close with but it's also really invigorating and cool."

William will play Garbine Muguruza in the third round after the 20th-seeded Spaniard crushed American Lauren Davis 6-1 6-3 earlier on Friday.

Unseeded American Jennifer Brady defeated 19th-seeded Caroline Garcia 6-3 3-6 6-0 to book her place in the third round.

The 23-year-old Brady thumped five aces en route to her third victory over the Frenchwoman this year, setting up a meeting with 12th-seeded Ash Barty, who defeated Tatjana Maria 6-4 6-4.

Czech Marketa Vondrousova eased past error-prone Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-2 6-1 to book her place in the third round.

With the loss, 14th seed Kasatkina, a finalist at Indian Wells last year, is projected to fall out of the top 20 when rankings are next updated.

Second seed Simona Halep, Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko, Britain's Johanna Konta, Belgian Elise Mertens and 18-year-old Bianca Andreescu all reached the third-round with straight sets victories on Friday.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Ken Ferris/Peter Rutherford)

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Djokovic eyes record sixth Indian Wells Masters title

Doubt is a distant memory for Novak Djokovic as the world number one returns to Indian Wells on top of the tennis world, one year after his shock loss to qualifier Taro Daniel.

Djokovic is making his first start since winning his third Grand Slam title on the trot at the Australian Open in January.

He said he wasn't fully recovered from elbow surgery when he opted to compete in the California desert last year, but it's not a decision he regrets given the events that followed in 2018.

"I definitely wasn't ready to compete at this level last year," the Serb said Thursday as he looked forward to his title defense in the elite Masters series event.

"I was kind of convincing myself that I was, but I truly wasn't.

"I know most of my team members at the time were against me playing in Indian Wells and Miami because it was too early after the surgery.

"I could have, should have made a different decision, but I believe it also taught me some valuable lessons that helped me to create amazing results in the next seven, eight months and get from 22 in the world to No. 1 in the world in less than six months."

Djokovic would cement his return with a Wimbledon title and follow that with a US Open crown.

He dominated Rafael Nadal in January's Australian Open title and must be favored for a sixth Indian Wells crown -- which would see him break the record he currently shares with fourth-seeded Roger Federer.

Djokovic will open in the second round against 128th-ranked American Bjorn Fratangelo, who beat fellow qualifier Elias Ymer of Sweden 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

He could face a dangerous third-round clash with Australian Nick Kyrgios, seeded 31st, who is coming off his first title in more than a year in Acapulco last week.

Kyrgios will take on Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round after the German veteran dispatched France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-0.

- Kyrgios in-form -
The Australian beat Nadal, former world number three Stan Wawrkina, ninth-ranked John Isner and number three Alexander Zverev on route the title in Mexico.

He also holds a 2-0 career record against Djokovic, including a straight-sets victory over the Serb star in Indian Wells two years ago.

"If I get a chance to play against him ... I'll look forward to that because he's in-form," Djokovic said. "On the other hand, I started the season very well.

"I hope I can restart here where I stopped in Australia.”

In other first-round matches Thursday American Sam Querrey defeated Italian Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7/5), 2-6, 6-4 to line up a meeting with 13th-seeded Milos Raonic -- a rematch of their quarter-final here last year won by the Canadian.

Veteran Ivo Karlovic defeated Australian Matthew Ebden 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3) to line up an all-Croatian clash with 11th-seeded Borna Coric.

Canadian 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked 58th in the world, defeated Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-2 to book a meeting with rising Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas.

bb/gph

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Tennis: Kasatkina outlasts Venus to advance to Indian Wells final

A determined Daria Kasatkina won a marathon 4-6 6-4 7-5 battle against Venus Williams at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday to advance to her first final at Indian Wells.

Russian Kasatkina took advantage of a sub-par serving night from the more powerful Williams, forcing long rallies that ultimately wore the veteran down over the course of the nearly three hour contest on a chilly night in the California desert.

The win sets up a showdown against either world number one Simona Halep or fellow 20-year-old Naomi Osaka of Japan, who play later on Friday.

Kasatkina, who fought back after being two points away from losing in the third set, put her hands on her head in shock when Williams hit a backhand into the net on match point, handing the Russian the biggest win of her career.

"I'm a bit tired," Kasatkina said during an on-court interview after the match.

"One more to go."

The win extends the Cinderella run for the tournament's 20th seed, who defeated grand slam champions Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber without dropping a set before going the distance to take down Williams.

Williams played an excellent all-around game, mixing bruising groundstrokes with frequent approaches to the net and moving well around the court.

But she was unable to pile up easy points on serve, winning barely half the points on her first serve while being broken seven times.

Kasatinka will now have Saturday to recover before facing either Halep, who holds a 3-1 lead in their previous four meetings, or Osaka, who she has never played before.

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Tennis: Williams routs Suarez Navarro to reach semis

Seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams reached the WTA Indian Wells semi-finals for the first time since 2001 on Thursday by routing Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-3, 6-2.

Despite the windy conditions, Williams improved to 5-2 on the season, including a third round win over sister Serena, who was making her return to the WTA after having a baby.


Venus, who at 37 is the oldest player in the women's draw, has played sparingly this year but is just beginning to step up her game.

"We've had a lot of great matches," Williams said of playing Suarez Navarro. "I was glad that I was able to close it out."

She dominated Suarez Navarro, who became increasingly frustrated and had to call her coach a couple of times to come down to the court in between sets for advice.

Wiliams is back in the semis in the California desert for the first time since pulling out before a semi-final match against Serena in 2001, with an injury.

Although she skipped the event for many years, Williams said she recalled her earliest appearance fondly.

"This was my first breakout tournament when I was 16," Williams said.

Williams improved to 6-3 lifetime against the 29-year-old Suarez Navarro as the two veterans faced off for the first time since the round of 16 at last year's US Open.

Williams won that contest in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Williams, who is seeded eighth, will need that experience when she takes the court in the next round against Russian 20-year-old Daria Kasatkina who has been jackhammering Grand Slam champions for the past year and rolling over top 10 players this week in Indian Wells.

They have played twice before in 2016 with Williams winning at Wimbledon, 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 and Kasatkina winning another tough three setter in Auckland, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3.

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Serena Williams ousted from Indian Wells by sister Venus

INDIAN WELLS -- Serena Williams' return to tournament tennis came to an abrupt end Monday as she crashed out of Indian Wells with a 6-3, 6-4 loss to her sister Venus.

Venus closed out the 29th career meeting between the two on her second match point as Serena sailed a forehand long to end the third round match in front of a main stadium crowd of about 13,000.


It was the first meeting between the sisters since they clashed in the final of the 2017 Australian Open, which Serena won before taking a 15-month hiatus due to her pregnancy. 

Serena said she is still easing her way back into match fitness.

"It wasn't very easy, obviously," she said. "It was good to play and try to get in the rhythm and get into the swing again.

"I can't really replicate the situation no matter how much I do in practice. I make those shots 10 times out of 10 in practice. 

"It's just the nerves, the anticipation you feel naturally. It's a little bit of everything that comes in a match that just doesn't normally happen."

The 10th seeded Venus moves on to the round of 16 where she will face Anastasija Sevastova, who defeated 12th seeded Julia Georges 6-3, 6-3.

It is rare for the Williams sisters to play this early in a tournament. It is the earliest they have faced each other since their first encounter at the Australian Open in 1998. 

They arrived outside the stadium together on a golf cart then walked through the tunnel with Serena entering the court first, as many in the crowd stood and cheered.

Venus blasted six aces but had eight double faults in the one hour 26 minute main stadium match.

Serena is still shaking off the rust after the long layoff as she hit four aces but had her serve broken four times.

"I just have a long way to go," Serena said.

Despite the loss Serena still leads their career series 17-12.

This was their first encounter with Venus as an aunt and Serena as a new mother after giving birth to her baby daughter, Alexis Olympia, on September 1.

- Booing incident -

Venus's victory also comes 17 years after an ugly booing incident led to a 14-year boycott of the tournament by the sisters. 

For some it brought closure to the once testy relationship between Indian Wells and the sisters who hail from the Los Angeles suburb of Compton. Serena returned to the tournament in 2015 and Venus a year later.

Asked about the incident finally being put to rest, Venus said, "It never crossed my mind."

Serena said she is trying not to look too far into the season.

"(Get) ready for the next tournament. I have a lot to improve on," she said.

"It's good that I don't have to say that this is the best tennis I have ever played and I lost. My room for improvement is incredible. 

"So I have just got to keep saying at each tournament that my goal is just to be better than the last. I don't want to go backwards."

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Federer cruises past Krajinovic at Indian Wells

World number one Roger Federer needed less than an hour to dispatch Filip Krajinovic at the BNP Paribas Open in California on Monday, mixing overpowering serves and pinpoint groundstrokes to advance to the fourth round of the tournament.

Playing for a third consecutive day due to weather delays in Indian Wells, the 36-year-old Swiss showed no sign of wear en route to a 6-2 6-1 thrashing of the Serbian in the pair's first ever meeting.


Federer, who had looked slightly off his game in his rain-disrupted third round match against Federico Delbonis, was his dominant self on Monday, winning 89 percent of his first service points while cracking six aces to just one double fault.

Krajinovic had no answer for Federer's serve or relentless return game and ended up winning just 31 of the match's 93 points.

With rivals Rafa Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray electing not to enter the tournament, and Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori both eliminated, the path appears clear for the Swiss to win a record sixth Indian Wells title.

Despite the promising outlook, Federer insisted he was taking it one match at a time.

"You can't really look ahead to semi-finals, finals and speculate about who you could play," he told reporters.

"I think that would be a mistake. I am on a good run right now and I want to maintain that. I have to stay sharp."

Next up for Federer is a meeting on Wednesday with France's Jeremy Chardy, who upset his countryman Adrian Mannarino earlier on Monday.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ian Ransom)

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Federer tops Wawrinka in all-Swiss Indian Wells final

A rejuvenated Roger Federer beat fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka 6-4 7-5 in the BNP Paribas Open final on Sunday to earn a record-tying fifth Indian Wells title and the distinction of being the tournament's oldest winner.

The 35-year-old Swiss, who made a stunning return from a six-month injury layoff to win the Australian Open in January, capped an impressive run in the California desert in which he did not lose a set.

"I have totally exceeded my expectations. My goal was to be top eight by Wimbledon. This is just a dream start," Federer, who will climb four spots to world number six on Monday, told Sky Sports courtside.

"I understand the talk about (me getting back to) world number one with Andy (Murray) and Novak (Djokovic) not playing well and I'll try to back it up. But this is my 90th (tour-level) title so I'll try to enjoy this first."


The rematch of the Australian Open semi-final saw the close friends hold serve until the 10th game of the opening set when Federer, ahead 5-4, outlasted Wawrinka in a thrilling 21-shot rally for the service break.

Wawrinka, making his first appearance in an Indian Wells final, came out firing in the second set as he became the first player to break Federer this fortnight and then saved a pair of break points in the next game to move ahead 2-0.

But Federer never wavered as he coolly won the next three games and then broke Wawrinka in the 12th game to close out the match in 80 minutes.

On championship point, Federer jumped right on Wawrinka's serve and quickly had his compatriot running back and forth along the baseline.

Finally, when Wawrinka reached out desperately to send a forehand back, Federer charged to the net and slammed down a running forehand to clinch the title.

While the defeat left Wawrinka an emotional wreck, with the teary-eyed U.S. Open champion calling himself Federer's "biggest fan", the popular champion was left to soak up a standing ovation.

Federer now joins Djokovic as a five-time winner at the event and becomes the oldest champion in the tournament's history, surpassing Jimmy Connors who was 31 when he triumphed in 1984.

"I was very sad when I couldn’t come here last year so just being here is a beautiful feeling," Federer said during the trophy presentation.

"It's been just a fairytale week. I'm still on the comeback. I hope my body is going to allow me to keep on playing.

"I came here for the first time 17 years ago so to be here again as the champion is an amazing feeling. And I can’t tell you enough what it means to me."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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Federer and Wawrinka in all-Swiss final at Indian Wells

Roger Federer continued his sizzling form on Saturday to set up an all-Swiss final against Stan Wawrinka at the BNP Paribas Open in California.

Federer did not face a break point in his semi-final victory over American Jack Sock 6-1 7-6(4) on the hardcourt at Indian Wells.

Less than two months after claiming the 18th grand slam title of his career at the Australian Open, ninth seed Federer delivered another virtuoso performance.

He ripped through the first set against 17th seed Sock in barely 20 minutes, before the American regrouped to make the second set more competitive.

With both players holding serve, the set went to a tiebreak, where Federer prevailed in front of a sun-baked crowd of 16,000 that included Rod Laver and Bill Gates.

"Overall I played a good match, struggled a bit in the second set but Jack got into it," 35-year-old Federer said in a courtside interview.

"It was tough in the end. I don’t think I played the best tiebreaker but it was enough to get through and I’m super happy to be in the final."

Wawrinka was even more dominant in the other semi, demolishing Spanish 21st seed Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-2.

Federer has a 19-3 career record against Wawrinka, and has never lost to his compatriot on hardcourt.

They met most recently at the Australian Open, where Federer prevailed in five sets in a semi-final.

With Federer winning the Australian Open and Wawrinka claiming last September's U.S. Open, Sunday's final will bring together the two most recent grand slam champions.

Federer said Wawrinka would present a different type of challenge than Sock.

"Jack tries to really come over the ball and create a lot of topspin whereas Stan blocks his first-serve return usually.

"He’s very steady off the baseline and can play from really deep in the court. I’ve got to play aggressive and play like I’ve been doing all week and hope it’s enough."

Wawrinka earned his first Indian Wells final in style.

He broke Carreno Busta three times, and never faced a break point himself.

“I mixed a lot of speed and spin," Wawrinka said. "It’s not always easy here. I was mixing it up, so it was not easy for him to find a solution."

It was a much easier victory for Wawrinka than his fourth-round match against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, who came within two points of an upset earlier in the week.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Gene Cherry)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Federer sweeps past Nadal into Indian Wells quarter-finals

INDIAN WELLS -- Roger Federer reprised his Australian Open triumph over Rafael Nadal on Wednesday, sweeping past the Spaniard 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Indian Wells Masters.

In the 36th career meeting between the two superstars, Federer needed just 68 minutes to advance to a meeting with Australian Nick Kyrgios, who toppled five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).

"For me, it was all about coming out and trying to play the way I did in Australia," said Federer, who beat Nadal in a five-set thriller to lift the Australian Open title in January.


"I didn't think it was going to be that possible, to be quite honest, because the court is more jumpy here or more rough, let's say, so it's hard to put the ball away."

Although he captured his 18th Grand Slam title in Melbourne, 35-year-old Federer said he still considers himself on the comeback trail after knee surgery sidelined him for much of 2016.

His Australian Open triumph was followed by a shock loss to world number 116 Evgeny Donskoy in Dubai, where Federer says he was still feeling an Australian Open hangover.

Upon arrival at Indian Wells, where he has lifted the trophy four times, Federer said he had regained his energy and was ready to play the attacking style the venue requires.

"It's hard to dig your way out of defense, because the ball doesn't skid on you as an attacker, and I think I did well again today," he said.

Playing a best-of-three set match against Nadal, "getting in the lead was crucial, and then staying on the offense and pressing was the goal for me.

"I was able to hold my serve, and he couldn't find a way how to get into my service games more frequently. Next thing you know, it's all over. It was a really good performance by me, I thought."

The victory marked the first time in a rivalry stretching back to 2004 that Federer has strung together three straight wins over Nadal. He beat the Spaniard in the final at Basel in 2015 and in Melbourne in their two most recent previous contests.

But Federer wasn't taking long to reflect on that achievement, with giant-killer Kyrgios coming up.

"Obviously can't celebrate too long this time around," he said of his latest win over Nadal. "I have to get back to work in a couple of days.

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Nadal wins second round in Indian Wells, Federer rematch looms

Spaniard Rafa Nadal marched towards a possible showdown with Roger Federer, emphatically winning his second-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in the California desert on Sunday.

Fifth seed Nadal pounced on Guido Pella's serve, breaking the Argentine five times en route to a 6-3 6-2 victory in sizzling afternoon heat on the hardcourt at Indian Wells.

On a day when fourth seed Kei Nishikori also won in straight sets, Nadal eyed a potential round-of-16 encounter with Federer in what would be a rematch of their January Australian Open final, won by the Swiss.

Nadal, Federer, Nishikori and second seed Novak Djokovic are all on the same side of the draw, which looks even more lopsided after Saturday's elimination of top seed Andy Murray.

"For sure I saw the draw," a relaxed Nadal told Tennis Channel, adding that he was not really focused on Federer.

"I go day-by-day. That's my way, to focus on my next match. I played I think a solid match (today)."

Nishikori said he had not seen the draw.

"I never see the draw, so I don't see who's coming next," the Japanese said after ousting Briton Dan Evans 6-3 6-4.

Next up for Nishikori in the round-of-32 is Gilles Muller of Luxembourg.

World number one Murray, meanwhile, praised his second-round conqueror, Vasek Pospisil, while at the same time lamenting an off night with his second serve.

The Canadian scored a major upset late on Saturday when he beat the Briton 6-4 7-6(5), rushing the net whenever the opportunity arose and pouncing on Murray's second serve.

"I have never really practised playing against serve-and-volleyers in my career, but when I have come up against them, it's normally been a game style I have enjoyed playing against," Murray said.

"Today it wasn't so much the serve-volley that was the problem. It was my own serve, not getting enough opportunities when he was serving. I think that was more the problem tonight."

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Gene Cherry)

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Fognini surprises Tsonga to reach Indian Wells 3rd round

INDIAN WELLS -- Italy's Fabio Fognini shocked French seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4 Saturday to reach the third round of the ATP Indian Wells Masters.

Fognini, ranked 43rd in the world, notched his first win over eighth-ranked Tsonga in five career meetings.

He also ended the Frenchman's nine-match winning streak that had seen him lift trophies in Rotterdam and Marseille.

Tsonga likely won't be dwelling on the defeat with other matters to capture his attention. His wife is expecting their first child in April and he only decided at the last minute to make the trip to California.

World number one Andy Murray headlined men's second-round play on stadium court, taking on Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil.

Murray is making his 12th straight appearance at Indian Wells, where his best performance is a runner-up finish to Rafael Nadal in 2009.

Last year, he exited in the third round, but he will be looking for better with a 12-2 match record in 2017 that includes his 45th career title at Dubai this month.

Swiss third seed Stan Wawrinka, a two-time quarter-finalist, takes a 2-0 career record over Italian Paolo Lorenzi into their stadium-court clash.

In early matches, eighth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem eased past France's Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 6-4 while Japanese lucky loser Yoshihito Nishioka upset 19th-seeded Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-3.

Nishioka withstood a dozen aces from the Croatian veteran, breaking him three times while saving all seven break points he faced.

Former finalist John Isner of the United States made it safely into the third round with a 7-6 (7/0), 7-6 (8/6) victory over Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin. And 11th-seeded Belgian David Goffin advanced with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Russian Karen Khachanov.

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Djokovic fuels tennis money equality debate

INDIAN WELLS -- World number one Novak Djokovic has indicated men's tennis should get more prize money than women because it has more spectators as a new controversy over equality in the sport erupted.

After winning the Indian Wells title for the fifth time, the Serbian star said tournament director Raymond Moore was wrong to say that women's tennis is riding on the coattails of the men's game.

Djokovic said women "fought for what they deserve and they got it". But he added that the men's Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) "should fight for more."

"I think that our men's tennis world, ATP world, should fight for more, because the stats are showing that we have much more spectators on the men's tennis matches.

"I think that's one of the ... reasons why maybe we should get awarded more."

Djokovic was one of a number of players to question tournament director Moore who apologised for his comments about the women's game after he was slammed as being "offensive" by women's number one Serena Williams.

"If I was a lady player, I'd go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport," Moore, a 69-year-old former player from South Africa, told reporters as his annual press conference on Sunday morning.

Williams was scathing in her response.

"Obviously, I don't think any woman should be down on their knees thanking anybody like that," she said.

"If I could tell you every day how many people say they don't watch tennis unless they're watching myself or my sister, I couldn't even bring up that number," Williams said.

There was a swift backlash to Moore's comments, which also included remarks on the physical attractiveness of some rising WTA stars.

- Truly Sorry -

"At my morning breakfast with the media, I made comments about the WTA that were in extremely poor taste and erroneous," Moore said in a statement.

"I am truly sorry for those remarks, and apologize to all the players and WTA as a whole."

"I am truly sorry for my remarks," he added.

But Williams, who lost in straights to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the women's final, lambasted Moore.

"You know, there's only one way to interpret that," she said. "Get on your knees, which is offensive enough, and thank a man ... we, as women, have come a long way. We shouldn't have to drop to our knees at any point."

Williams said she was surprised to find the gender controversy still being raised in a sport has pioneered equal compensation for women competitors -- sometimes over the objections of their male players.

"Last year the women's final at the US Open sold out well before the men. I'm sorry, did Roger play in that final or Rafa or any man play in that final that was sold out before the men's final? I think not."

US great Billie Jean King, a tireless promoter of equal opportunity for women in sport, said on Twitter that she was "disappointed" in Moore's remarks.

"He is wrong on so many levels," King wrote.

Djokovic said Moore's comments were "not politically correct" but added the matter "was maybe exaggerated a little bit".

Djokovic said he has "tremendous respect" for women in tennis "especially as they have to "go through a lot of different things that we (men) don't have to go through. You know, the hormones and different stuff."

Azarenka said men rarely find themselves the subject of such insulting remarks as those made by Moore.

"I think it's something that we have to work through as women," she said. "Men don't get those comments.

"I think it's still a problem in the world," Azarenka added. "It's not just in sports. It's in business. We try to talk about the equality. Sometimes it just gets unrecognized."

WTA Tour chief executive Steve Simon released a statement saying, "As the tournament director of one of the most preeminent events in professional tennis the comments made today by Raymond Moore were extremely disappointing and alarming.

"The WTA stands on its own and was founded on the principles of equality and empowerment. I am proud of all those strong athletes on the WTA who put in hard work and sacrifice every single day."

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WORLD SPORTS: Rays to play in Havana, Venus ends Indian Wells boycott

Tampa Bay Rays to play in Havana during Obama visit

Reuters

The Tampa Bay Rays will become the first Major League Baseball franchise to play in Havana since 1999 when they face Cuba's national team in an exhibition this month coinciding with a historic visit by U.S. President Barack Obama.

The March 22 game, announced by MLB on Tuesday, has been planned for months. Major League Baseball, the organization that runs professional baseball in North America, said in November it would choose the Rays as the team to play in Havana if it could make a deal with the Cuban Baseball Federation.

"During a time of historic change, we appreciate the constructive role afforded by our shared passion for the game, and we look forward to experiencing Cuba's storied baseball tradition and the passion of its many loyal fans," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

The game will be played at the 45,000-seat Latin American Stadium, site of a 1999 exhibition between the Baltimore Orioles and Cuba's national team. It has been undergoing improvements, including installation of a new infield, under MLB supervision.

Obama's visit on March 21-22 will mark the first by a sitting U.S. president since 1928 and the first since Fidel Castro's rebels overthrew a pro-American government in 1959.

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Venus ends Indian Wells boycott

Agence France-Presse

Venus Williams will end her 15-year boycott of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells next week, following in the footsteps of sister Serena who returned to the event last year.

The 35-year-old former world number one has not played the prestigious Californian event since 2001, when she and Serena were booed by sections of the crowd.

Her father Richard Williams has long alleged the family was subjected to repeated racial slurs after Venus withdrew from a semi-final against Serena due to a knee injury.

Venus said she had been prompted to return after seeing the warm reception her sister received last year, when she was given a 57-second standing ovation before her opening match on Stadium Court.

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Male boxers to abandon headgear at Rio Games after 32 years

Karolos Grohmann, Reuters
For the first time in 32 years male boxers will be able trade punches without any headgear at this year's Rio Games after the International Olympic Committee sanctioned a change introduced by world boxing federation AIBA.

AIBA adopted the change for amateur fighters some three years ago but needed to bring it to the IOC Executive Board, which noted it without objection on Tuesday, essentially rubber-stamping the decision and clearing the way for Rio.

The IOC said AIBA had presented medical research that showed concussions were less likely to occur without headgear than with.

Women boxers, who first competed at the 2012 Olympics, will continue wearing their protective gear.

Mercedes unleash Rosberg in second test

Agence France-Presse
World champions Mercedes sent another signal of their continued dominance to the rest of the Formula One paddock, as Nico Rosberg was fastest on the first day of the second pre-season test in Barcelona on Tuesday.

The German and defending world champion Lewis Hamilton are sharing driving duties on each of the four days in the Catalan capital this week due to the W07's remarkable reliability.

Rosberg registered the second best time of testing so far in 1min 23.022sec as Mercedes finally used the quicker soft tyres, after completing nearly 700 laps on the first four days of testing last week on the medium compound.

"It was nice for me to be able to push some more and produce some stronger lap times," said Rosberg. "That's when it's all the more enjoyable; taking the car to the limit and really pushing. It's been a good test, reliability has been good, the speed has been there - it's all working to plan."

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Ko hopes 'role model' Tiger will bounce back

Agence France-Presse
Women's world number one Lydia Ko paid tribute to her "role model" Tiger Woods on Tuesday, expressing hope that the golf legend will recover from injury and rejoin the tour.

Speaking to AFP before the HSBC Women's Champions tournament in Singapore, the 18-year-old said that Woods has been a top ambassador for the sport.

"No matter what Tiger is going through right now, Tiger will always be Tiger. Tiger grew the game, there's a lot of players that are playing on tour or are starting the game because of Tiger," said the New Zealander, who turned pro when she was 16.

"He's been a great role model, he still is... I think what he's done to grow the game is fantastic and hopefully he'll be able to get healthy and get back on the tour," she added.

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Ivy League gridiron teams eye tackle practice ban

Agence France-Presse

American football coaches of prestigious Ivy League college teams have voted to eliminate full-contact tackling during training in a radical measure aimed at mitigating the risk of brain injury, it was reported Tuesday.

The Ivy League, which includes Harvard, Yale and Princeton amongst its eight-member conference, had already reduced the number of full-contact practices a team could hold in a 2011 crackdown.

The latest safety measure, which would ban tackling during training in the regular season, comes against a backdrop of mounting concern over the health risks associated with America's most popular sport.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Djokovic beats Federer to win Rome Masters

In tennis, Novak Djokovic won the Rome Masters for the fourth time by outwitting old rival Roger Federer.

Djokovic won 6-4, 6-3, two months after also beating the Swiss at the Indian Wells final.

The Serb never looked in danger, and wrapped up the title when Federer hit a forehand out on match point.

The pair was meeting for the 39th time and top-seed Djokovic narrowed Federer's lead to 20-19. -- Mornings @ ANC, May 18, 2015.

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Serena overwhelmed by fan love on Indian Wells return

INDIAN WELLS, California - Fourteen years after leaving the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in shocked disbelief after being heckled by the fans, Serena Williams soaked up their adulation on her return to the venue on Friday.

The American world number one, who was booed by the crowd as she beat Kim Clijsters in the 2001 final to win her second title at the California desert resort, felt overwhelmed after receiving a standing ovation at the start of the match.

"I didn't know what to expect," said an emotional Williams, who struggled to find her rhythm against a highly unorthodox opponent before battling past Romania's Monica Niculescu 7-5 7-5 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.

"In the last couple of moments leading up to it, I was focused on warming up for the match and I wasn't really prepared for that. I was overwhelmed by it.

"It was such a warm feeling. It made me feel incredibly well. And receiving the love from the crowd here, it really meant a lot to me."

During the 2001 final at Indian Wells, Williams was repeatedly booed by the crowd in apparent response to Serena's sister Venus having withdrawn from their semi-final that year just minutes before the match, citing injury.

Her father, Richard Williams, alleged he had heard racist taunts.

Fast forward 14 years and Williams was greeted with huge cheers while walking out on to the stadium court, prompting her to remove the headphones she was wearing and raise her right arm skywards to acknowledge the crowd.

One fan yelled out "We love you Serena" during the coin toss and she received repeated calls of "Come on Serena" throughout a topsy-turvy match that lasted a little more than two hours.

"I just felt so good to be out there," said the world number one, who clinched her 19th grand slam singles crown with a 6-3 7-6(5) victory over Russian Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final in January.

"I felt like I made the right decision (to come back) and I knew I wanted to do it. I knew I really wanted to do it. But up until that moment I didn't really know if it was the right thing for me to do. That's when I felt it was the right thing.

"I don't feel like I have to actually hold the trophy at the end of this. I feel like I'm already holding up a trophy. I have never felt that way before. I feel like just being here is a huge win. Not only for me, but for so many people."

Asked to assess where Friday's experience ranked among her multiple accomplishments on the tennis court, Williams replied: "It definitely feels like one of the biggest moments and the proudest moments of my career." (Editing by John O'Brien)

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