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: Federer wins quarterfinal at Indian Wells, on track to meet Nadal

NORTH CAROLINA - Roger Federer stayed on course to face longtime rival Rafael Nadal when he beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-4 6-4 in the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals at Indian Wells, California on Friday.

Federer broke his 67th-ranked Polish opponent once in each set and that was all the Swiss needed to prevail in just over an hour on the outdoor hard court.

It was the first match between the pair and far from one-sided, as Hurkacz had 2 break points but could seize neither.

"I was trying to fight, compete and believe I can do it," Hurkacz told reporters. "Roger was playing great in the crucial moments. I had some small chances in the second set."

"He's changing directions all the time (with his serve) so it's really hard to read it."

Next up on Saturday for fourth seed Federer will be his 39th career encounter with Nadal, provided the Spaniard wins his quarterfinal against Russian Karen Khachanov later on Friday.

Nadal leads Federer 23-15 on a head-to-head basis but the Swiss has won the past 5 encounters.

They have not met since Shanghai in 2017, the same year that Federer beat Nadal 6-2 6-3 in the fourth round at Indian Wells.

The other semifinal will match Austrian seventh seed Dominic Thiem and Canadian 13th seed Milos Raonic.

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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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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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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)

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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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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."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Djokovic, Nadal tested but advance in California

World number one Novak Djokovic broke his opponent late in both sets to eke out a 7-5 7-5 third round victory over an upset-minded Philipp Kohlschreiber on Tuesday as the Serb continued his BNP Paribas Open title defence in California.

One day after world number two Andy Murray was surprisingly knocked out of competition, Djokovic had no such letdown despite suffering a bit of a wobble towards the end of the match.

Djokovic broke serve to lead 4-2 in the second set and squandered four match points in the ninth game before handing back the break to the German world number 30.

The next two games went with serve with Djokovic ensuring the contest would not go to a deciding set when he sealed victory on his fifth match point in breaking his opponent for the fourth time in the match to advance to the round of 16.

He next plays Spaniard Feliciano Lopez for a place in the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, Rafael Nadal gained a modicum of revenge over Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco with a 6-0 7-6(9) triumph.

Having lost to Verdasco in the opening round of the Australian Open in January, Nadal dominated early before digging in late in the second set to put the match away, saving five set points in the tie-break to triumph after falling 6-3 behind.

"I feel lucky to win the tie-break but at the same time, I played well with not many mistakes as I went for the points," said Nadal, who is looking for his fourth title at Indian Wells.

"I lost matches similar to this one in Australia, in Buenos Aires and in Rio de Janeiro, so it's important for me to win matches like this."

Nadal next faces 18-year-old German prospect Alexandr Zverev, who the Spaniard believes is "a possible future number one".

The power-hitting Zverev confirmed his potential by breezing past 16th-seeded Gilles Simon of France 6-2 6-2 in just 67 minutes.

"I thought I played really well today," said Zverev. "I was really ready for a long, long fight and a long three-set match... I'm really happy that I got through so quickly."

Zverev is bidding to become the youngest quarter-finalist at the event since 1989 and to reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final in just his fifth tournament at this level.

Earlier, Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori reached the round of 16 with a 7-6(6) 7-6(5) win over American Steve Johnson.

Nishikori, chasing his second ATP World Tour title of the season after victory in Memphis last month, will next face big-serving American ninth seed John Isner, who fired 15 aces in his 6-4 7-6(4) win over France's Adrian Mannarino.

France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took down American Sam Querrey 6-3 6-4. (Reporting by Larry Fine; Additional reporting by Jahmal Corner; Editing by John O'Brien)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

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

Berdych demolished by 'perfect' Federer

INDIAN WELLS, California - Czech Tomas Berdych ran into a human buzz-saw in Roger Federer at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday, saying that the Swiss world number two had done "pretty much everything perfect" during a 6-4 6-0 win.

Berdych had beaten Federer five times in their previous nine meetings but he had no answer to his long-time rival at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden as he was broken once in the first set and three times in the second in a one-sided quarter-final.

"It's always about being ready, waiting for a chance," ninth seed Berdych told reporters after being swept aside in just 68 minutes on the showpiece stadium court as Federer hit 21 winners and never faced a break point.

"He was doing pretty much everything perfect ... he was doing pretty much everything on the top level, and there was not much that I can do."

Berdych had beaten the Swiss in all three of their previous meetings in the United States but he became increasingly error-prone after making a strong start as his opponent's dominance took a heavy toll.

Asked if he had felt that Federer was unbeatable based on his superb form during their quarter-final, Berdych replied: "Yeah, it kind of felt like that from the beginning. He played pretty well.

"It was one of his very tough performances. When you feel that he's in control right from the beginning, then of course you have to come up with your best game. You want to play well. You just want to play your best.

"There is a very thin line in between that and overdoing it. It's not so easy, really to control it every single time that you go play a player like this, even if he's playing in such a good shape. Today I stepped a little bit over it."

Berdych, who was beaten by Federer in three sets when they last played, in Dubai in 2014, slipped to 6-13 against the Swiss after their 19th career encounter. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene Cherry)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Murray reaches semis, will next play Djokovic

INDIAN WELLS, California - Fourth seed Andy Murray, with a consummate display of power and touch in tricky conditions, reached the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals with a landmark 6-3 6-4 win over Spaniard Felicano Lopez on Thursday.

On another hot but blustery afternoon at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the Scot broke left-hander Lopez once in the opening set and twice in the second to claim victory on the showpiece stadium court.

Murray will next face top-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic, who was gifted a place in the last four when Australian Bernard Tomic pulled out of their quarter-final citing a back injury.

Tomic, ranked 32nd, had reached the last eight at an elite ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time with a 6-4 4-6 6-4 win over compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis in the previous round.

"I thought I played a pretty good match, I created a lot of opportunities," world number four Murray said after moving ahead of Tim Henman as Britain's most successful men's player in the Open era with 497 singles victories.

"The wind was definitely the trickiest part of the day. Both of us struggled a little bit with it. I just managed to play a little bit more solid."

Murray, whose best run at Indian Wells came in 2009 when he finished runner-up to Rafa Nadal, broke Lopez in the fourth game of the match to set the tone.

The Briton went on to treat the crowd to a dazzling array of searing backhands, pinpoint passes, top-spin lobs and delicate drop shots to claim the opening set in 38 minutes.

The Spanish left-hander, making errors on his usually reliable sliced backhand, also failed to hold serve in the first and seventh games of the second set before he broke Murray for the only time in the eighth.

However, the Scotsman served out to love in the 10th game, sealing his 10th victory over Lopez in 10 meetings when a backhand service return flew long.

Asked for his reaction to Djokovic's walkover, Murray replied: "Obviously that's good for him, a few days off now for him.

"I get a day (off) as well before the semis so both of us should be fairly fresh going into that one," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."

Murray will take on Djokovic for the first time since he lost to the Serb in four sets in this year's Australian Open final. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue/Larry Fine)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Djokovic beats Federer in Indian Wells final

Novak Djokovic beat his old rival Roger Federer 3-6 6-3 7-6(3) on Sunday to win a nailbiting BNP Paribas Open final at Indian Wells and capture his first title of 2014.

The Serbian overcame a shaky start when he dropped his opening service game, then survived a nervous finish when he failed to serve out the match at the first attempt before finally sealing victory in the tiebreaker.

"Today was an incredible match," Djokovic said after being presented with the winner's crystal trophy.

"It was an incredibly difficult match. Roger is playing great and it's always a pleasure playing with him."

The thrilling victory gave Djokovic his third championship in the Californian desert tournament and lifted his career tally to 42 titles.

It was Federer's first loss in a final at Indian Wells after he had previously won a record four times.

But the 32-year-old showed he was anything but a spent force as he went toe to toe with the best hardcourt player in the world.

"Personally, I'm very happy. I think I'm playing great tennis now and I'm really enjoying myself," Federer said.

"Of course, I would have liked to have more won a few more points at the end but Novak made it tough, so congratulations to him for winning."

Federer reached the final without dropping a set and made a flying start against Djokovic, in their 33rd career meeting. Despite Sunday's loss, Federer leads their head to head record 17-16.

Djokovic double-faulted twice in his opening service game as his Swiss opponent snatched the early break and went on to take the first set in 31 minutes.

Djokovic made a much better start to the second set, winning the opening point with an ace right down the middle, then broke Federer's serve in the eighth game to lead 5-3.

He served out the set then broke Federer early in the third and had the chance to serve out the match when he led 5-4.

But with Federer chipping and charging from the baseline, Djokovic cracked.

Roared on by the crowd, Federer tied the set at 6-6 to force a tiebreak, but Djokovic regained his composure to clinch the title after almost two and a quarter hours.

(Reporting by Julian Linden in New York; editing by Gene Cherry)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Li loving life despite weight of expectations

INDIAN WELLS - China's Li Na is loving her tennis life, despite elevated expectations and an inevitable smattering of nay-sayers who still think her two Grand Slam titles are a fluke.

"Of course I always hear a lot," the world number two said Monday after booking her fourth-round berth at the Indian Wells hardcourt tournament with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Czech Karolina Pliskova.

"So many people say 'Oh, she's lucky.' After I won the French, after I won in Australia, they say 'Oh, she's lucky, she cannot win anymore, blah, blah, blah.

"I say, that's OK, doesn't matter. I already have two (Grand Slams) in my pocket. Nobody can take it. I still love tennis life, I don't care what other people say."

If the critics don't get to her, Li admitted that she is having to learn how to handle herself now that she's coming into big tournaments as a favorite.

The world number two is the top seed at Indian Wells for the first time, and admitted it was a different feeling.

"I try to feel the same, but it is different. Before if I came to a tournament maybe I was like number six or number seven seed. Now it's high attention, everyone is focused (on me)."

So far she has thrived in the spotlight in the California desert, although she has yet to headline a night session.

Li has been the first match on stadium court in both of her matches here, and while she said she's not a morning person she enjoys the convenience of knowing she won't have to wait for another match to finish to go on.

She joked that the early wake-up call contributed to a bevy of early double faults.

She overcame nine of them in the match en route to the victory over the 67th-ranked Pliskova.

It was something she said she would work on before her next match, when she will take on Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak, a 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 6-0 winner over 21st-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com