An Indian Wells Grounds Pass From A Fans Perspective - UBITENNIS

An Indian Wells Grounds Pass From A Fans Perspective

By Matthew Marolf
7 Min Read

In a special report for Ubitennis, Matt Marolf writes about what is like to attend one of the biggest tennis tournaments outside of the grand slams.

Following all the action from court-to-court during the early rounds of big tournaments like this can be a thrilling day for a tennis fan. Here’s a log of what my day in the desert looked like on Sunday, March 11th.

11:00am – Start the day at a soon-to-be standing room only Stadium 2 for John Isner against Gael Monfils. Isner is Isner, hitting 143 mph serves but doing little to get into Monfils’ service games. Monfils is Monfils, showing off his athleticism even when the point doesn’t require it. To the surprise of no one, they end up in a first set tiebreak, which Isner serves out 7-5.

12:30 – I take a break from the sun and grab lunch. I follow the action on the TV screens in a Stadium 2 restaurant, as well as via the new free radios they give out which feature the Tennis Channel play-by-play. Get to catch a big upset from Stadium 1, as 16-year-old American Amanda Anisimova takes out Petra Kvitova. Anisimova had never won a tour level match prior to this week, and now she’s in the fourth round after upsetting a two-time Wimbledon champion. There’s been many teenagers pulling off upsets in the first week here, a fun peak into tennis’ future.

1:45 – On Stadium 1, Djokovic looks shaky as he drops the first set to Taro Daniel. Meanwhile on Stadium 2, a refreshingly motivated and fired-up Monfils saves a match point. The Frenchman then finds a way to break Isner for the first time in the match, and serves it out to the delight of many in the crowd. Even though we’re in the US, Monfils remains a crowd favorite. Isner continues to struggle since the Paris Indoors, where he let a golden opportunity to win the title and qualify for the ATP Finals slip through his fingers.

2:30 – Settle into a shady spot in the grass under the big screen on the side of Stadium 1, which shows multiple matches and live score updates. Eager to see if Djokovic can mount a comeback. He takes the second set, but can’t capitalize on multiple break points to start the third and quickly becomes pretty frustrated with himself. As the third set progresses, Novak struggles to get much power behind his shots, and stops running down some balls. He is thoroughly defeated 6-1 in the third by the qualifier, and hits a total of 61 errors in the match. Was his lack of competitive spirit due to physical or mental elements, or both? There’s no indication as to when Djokovic will rediscover his form of a few years ago, and that question is starting to change from when to if.

3:15 – On Stadium 2, Sloane Stephens gets one of her first wins since winning the US Open six months prior, ousting a rusty former champion in Victoria Azarenka. As that match concludes, Roger Federer takes the court to resume his match from Saturday night, held over due to rare rain in the desert. In a tight second set, Federer saves a set point to salvage a straight set win. Federer was not too sharp in the re-start today, and looked relieved to win in straights. He’ll need to play better in the coming week to defend his title.

4:30 – Back over to Stadium 2 now for another resumption from last night: a battle of the lefties in Angelique Kerber and Ekaterina Makarova. On Saturday Makarova was in control, but today (Sunday) Kerber has too much movement and variety. The German wins in three, and continues he resurgence in 2018.

5:15 – Over to Stadium 3 as Sam Querrey finishes out a tight two-setter against Mischa Zverev. At the same time, I’m following the radio commentary of a big upset in the making. World number one Simona Halep wins just one game in the first set against 165th-ranked American wildcard Caroline Dolehide. Has any top player had more dramatic matches in the past year than Halep?

5:45: Hanging around Stadium 3 for the all-Canadian battle between Milos Raonic and 17-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the youngster, who took out another Canadian on Friday (Vasek Pospisil) for his first tour-level win. On this day against the number one Canadian, Felix doesn’t show off much of the talent that many think will make him special in the future. Milos wins comfortably in straights.
Meanwhile, Halep survives a second set tiebreak and then runs away with the third to avoid the big upset.

7:15 – I try to check out Court 4 and the match with Diego Schwartzman and Marcos Baghdatis, but there are no seats to be had. That happens often here on the outer courts, especially in the evening when less matches are taking place. Indian Wells attracts extremely knowledgeable tennis fans, many of whom will choose a good match with lesser names on an outer court.

8:45– After a dinner break, I get to see Juan Martin Del Potro taking on Alex de Minaur on Stadium 1. The 19-year-old Australian made a name for himself in January with impressive runs in Brisbane and Sydney. But Del Potro gives the Aussie nothing to work with on this night. He drops just three games and looks like a legitimate contender for this title.

Just another day in (tennis) paradise.

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