The title of this post refers basically to length of each of the finals of the BNP Paribas Open from Indian Wells Tennis Gardens, which has just drawn to a conclusion so here is more about that....
So starting with the ladies, as they were on first anyway, and the final was between the world's top two tennis players, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova. After their last match, Sharapova would no doubt be out for revenge, but unfortunately she wasn't able to get anywhere near that this time round either. In the first set, Sharapova was broken twice by Azarenka, and in the 2nd she was broken straight away, but Maria did break back at one point and had a chance to cling to make it 5-4, but on her serve at 5-3, she lost her way and ended the match, albeit on a very entertaining point, with a high lob going way long as Vika dropped her racquet and ran round the court in delight, cruising to victory in 6-2, 6-3.
Well for me I didn't expect alot from this match as every time they meet its a pushover for Azarenka, and it wasn't exactly a great contest but to be fair it did have its moments and overall it was not too bad. And what was bizarre about this match was Sharapova's first serve percentage was so high, in fact it was in the 80s! But despite that as usual she made a truckload of unforced errors, and against Victoria Azarenka you simply cannot do that, and as I predicted she was made to pay. And its a shame that Vika's other main rival Petra Kvitova was defeated earlier on in the tournament as if they were both playing it would have made for quite a final. But once Petra get's back into the game, then should they meet it will make for quite a match, just hope it isn't too far off.
So regardless of the easy nature of the match, Victoria deserves a great deal of credit for what she achieved so far this year, and she really has taken on that much needed mantle in the ladies game, a dominant figure in the sport, which has been missing for quite a while. So a big well done to Vika who has now won 23 matches in 2012 and remains unbeaten, so she definitely is working towards beating that Djokovic record, and she just might do it. And despite the fact that Victoria is not yet the most popular of champions, probably due to her on court grunting and aggressive demeanour, she is good fun and adds a bit of character to the sport, as I quite liked the end of the match where she jogged around the court screaming, and doing a funny dance, like Andrea Petkovic does (known for her on court victory dances).
Right now onto the men's final which was between Roger Federer and the big upcoming American John Isner, as they went at it for the right to lift the big glassy starry shaped trophy. And depsite the fact that their match was, for once, SHORTER than the ladies final, it was a pretty entertaining close match. In the first set there was little to separate the two men, and for once Roger looked quite pressured by Isner's big serve, but once they hit the tiebreaker, which was pretty close, Roger managed to win it and the set. And in the 2nd set, Isner got unlucky as Federer broke at 4-3, and pretty soon had no trouble closing out the match to lift his 4th title at Indian Wells, and the 73rd of his career, winning in 7-6(7), 6-3.
In regards to the outcome of the men's match I am not surprised who won, but it does leave me surprised that Djokovic wasn't able to defend his title, and again I suspect his weakness for winning tiebreaks let him down, and let Isner reach the final. Regardless the big guy deserves alot of credit for reaching his first Masters final, and for a set and a bit holding his own against the greatest player to have played the game. But Federer was always going to be the winner, and he appears to be on a mission this year to get that No.1 spot back, and on the ATP tour he remains unbeaten this year, and this year along he has raked 2000 points to his ranking, and if he wins in Miami coming up that should put him back up the No.2 spot, so he will be half way there! But can he sustain this level in the slams that's the real question, as with Rafa and Djokovic, you can beat your butt that they will try their best to beat him, and Rafa has never been defeated by Roger in a slam since 2007. So its all waiting to happen, but we'll see.....
Anyway so that's the 2012 BNP Paribas Open over with, and overall it was a really good tournament with some fine tennis from both the mens and ladies. Next up will be the Sony Ericsson Open from Miami, which is another biggie, a Masters 1000 title for the guys and a Premier Mandatory for the ladies. Roger and Vika are the favs already to win there, and Vika is the defending champion, but can she defend it???? I think so, when you are the best player in the world playing with that much confidence its tougher to lose than to win, but it shall be soon seen. But I quite like Victoria actually, she comes across a nice person, who is quite down to earth and has little in the way of bullshit or attitude off court, and certainly isn't like the Williams sisters. And at the moment people may not yet be warming to her, but she is far more likeable and personable then the Williams sisters ever were. And in her post final interview with the BBC sports correspondent, Jonathan Overend, she spoke with some real maturity about her attitude toward the sport, and how she felt that confidence and pressure are overrated, and for her its more about adapting to any given situation in a match. It shows she is an intelligent young woman with a good head on her shoulders when it comes to tennis and its also really commendable with how she is coping with the expectations of being the World No.1.
And as for Andy Murray..... well here's hoping the guy doesn't go out early again like he did in Indian Wells, (and as he did in Miami last year too!). In fact I'm almost certain he won't, well he better not! But for Andy this year, more than anything else, it should be about the majors, he shouldn't worry about not winning more Masters titles because he has plenty as it is, its all about peaking at the right time. And if Roger is peaking just now and winning all the ATP tour events then that's fine, but I just hope with Lendl's instruction and advice that Andy can make that transition this year and play his best tennis when it counts the most. But in the meantime I hope he does much better in Miami than last year (well he couldn't do any worse!).
So that's it, one tournament down, bring on the next one....
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