Taro Daniel entered the BNP Paribas Open without a main draw victory in 2018. But all it takes is one signature win to swiftly turn around a player's fortunes. Behind a bevy of blistering backhands, Daniel claimed the biggest victory of his career, denying five-time champion Novak Djokovic 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1 in front of a packed Stadium 1 in Indian Wells. The Japanese overturned an 0-7 mark against Top 20 opposition, surging into the third round at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event for the first time. Moreover, Djokovic was handed just his fifth defeat to a player outside the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings in the past decade. The 10th seed was appearing in his second tournament of...
Once again, a John Isner and Gael Monfils match lived up to its billing. The Frenchman saved match point to prevail over his towering American rival 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 7-5 in front of a packed Stadium 2 crowd at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday afternoon. The two have a noted history of high-quality matches – only two of their previous nine matches had been decided in straight sets, both of which were won by Monfils. In what was the 10th meeting in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry, Monfils was able to raise his level in the biggest moments, producing highlight-reel shots and saving all seven break points he faced, including a match point at 4-5 in the third set, in the...
Roger Federer's bid for a sixth BNP Paribas Open title got off to a soggy start on Saturday. Play was suspended due to persistent rain showers at 10:30pm local time, with the Swiss leading Federico Delbonis 6-3, 2-2. Federer burst out of the gates on Stadium 1 in Indian Wells, blasting a backhand winner to take the lone break of the first set and he would deny a pair of break chances when serving for the opener at 5-3. But the skies closed as the second set got underway, with a two-hour delay halting proceedings before play was eventually suspended. Competing in his first tournament since returning to the top spot of the ATP Rankings, Federer will look to pick...
In California, they'll move their clocks ahead on Sunday morning for daylight savings time. But Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco did the opposite on Saturday evening, rolling back time to upset third seed Grigor Dimitrov at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The former World No. 7 fought past the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 to pick up only his second Top 10 win in Indian Wells (2-8; also 2014, d. Gasquet). Verdasco's serve and fearless swinging carried him to the upset. Watch Full Match Replays The 34-year-old left-hander struck 12 aces and was routinely blasting first serves at more than 130 mph. Double faults had snuck in during the first two sets, but Verdasco eliminated them...
The first of many? Fans who had the opportunity to see #NextGenATP players Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz battle at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday will certainly hope so. The 20-year-olds entertained the crowd with more than 90 minutes of heavyweight hitting and plenty of plot turns. The second-round match on Stadium Court 2 featured 50 winners (28, Fritz; 22, Rublev) and seven breaks of serve. Watch Full Match Replays In the end, the home favourite Fritz reached the third round in Indian Wells for the second consecutive year 6-4, 7-6(4). The #NextGenATP California native was broken in the ninth game in the second set. But Fritz broke right back and, in the tie-break, clinched his second match point...
