TENNIS – Roger Federer beat Aleksander Dolgopolov 6-3 6-1 to qualify for his fifth Indian Wells final without dropping a single set in the whole tournament. Federer set up a blockbuster final against Nole Djokovic who overcame a tough match against John Isner Diego Sampaolo
Federer showed once again his superb form in 2014 on a sunny but windy day.
Federer and Dolgopolov held their serve until the Basel star converted on his first break point chance in the eighth game when the Ukrainian player made five unforced errors and wrapped up the first set in just 30 minutes by hitting his sixth ace. He started the second set with another break and backed up it with another break for 4-1 in a 20-point fifth game which came down to deuce. Dolgopolov saved two break point chances but finally dropped his serve.
Federere broke again to love to close out the second set after just 61 minutes.
Federer was solid on serve winning 72 percent of his first serve points. He hit seven aces. He broke serve four times and did not face a single break point chance. On the contrary Dolgopolov won just 40 percent of his first serve points.
The Swiss Maestro has extended his winning streak to 11 consecutive matches in a series which includes his first triumph of the year in Dubai where he beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinal and Tomas Berdych in the final.
Dolgopolov played a solid tournament in which he reached his first Master 1000 semifinal after beating Rafa Nadal in the third round, Fabio Fognini in the fourth round and Milos Raonic in the quarter final. .
Federer is bidding to win his fifth Indian Wells title after three consecutive triumphs in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and 2012. He is enjoying a 19-2 record in his matches this year.
“The results are better than I thought they would be. That’s very encouraging and super positive. It’s a matter of just keeping up, taking the right decisions not to overplay and enjoy yourself. I have the right balance and it’s very encouraging”, said Federer.
“The conditions were tough for both of us. I really served well when I had toand that allowed me to take more chances. Aleksander has had a great tournament, so it’s really a big win for me. I served a lot of aces. It was one of the best serving performances of my career”, said Federer.
“I am just feeling more freely overall and with more confidence. I can wake up in the morning without feeling sore. I can go to bed not feeling like I hope I feel better tomorrow. I don’t have these thoughts going through my mind and I am not worried every single minute of the day”, said Federer
The Swiss legend will renew his rivalry against Novak Djokovic in a re-match of this year’s Dubai semifinal, which will certainly vie for the “best match of 2014 award” as it was a highly entertaining clash with a lot of fantastic shots.
Djokovic overcame a tough opposition in the second semifinal against John Isner prevailing in three sets with 7-5 6-7 6-1 in a re-match of the semifinal match two years ago at Indian Wells won the US player.
Isner prevented Djokovic from serving out the match in the second set twice at 4-5 and 5-6. The US giant prevailed over Djokovic with 7-2 in the tie-break to force the match to the third set. It was the fifth time in this tournament that Isner won a tie-break.
Djokovic broke serve for 3-1 in the third set as Isner double faulted and saved a break point in the next game holding serve for 4-1. Djokovic backed it up with another break for 5-1 to seal the win on his third match point with his big serve.
Federer leads 17-15 in his head-to head matches against Djokovic. The Serb won their previous clash at Indian Wells in the 2011 semifinal before clinching his second Indian Wells title. Before his defeat in Dubai two weeks ago Djokovic had beaten his Swiss rival in three consecutive matches.
Diego Sampaolo
