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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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)

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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)

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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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