Dolgopolov Stuns Nadal to Move Onto Indian Wells Round of 16

March 11, 2014 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Alex_Dolgopolov_0
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Alexandr Dolgopolov was an upset winner over defending champion Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. Dolgopolov came into the match 0-5 lifetime against Nadal. Nadal was denied a ninth consecutive semifinal appearance at Indian Wells and it was his second loss of the year after falling to Stanislas Wawrinka in the Australian Open finals.

Dolgopolov will next face Fabio Fognini, a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 winner over the 23rd-seeded Gael Monfils.

Four-time Indian Wells champ Roger Federer was also a winner Monday, defeating Dmitry Tursunov 7-6(7), 7-6(2) to move on to the Round of 16. Federer will next meet Tommy Hass, a 7-6(3), 6-2 winner Monday evening over Kei Nishikori.

"Now I feel like I'm in a good place. Zen on the court," said Federer. "I know what my solid level is.”

Federer has won eight consecutive matches, and is 12-3 lifetime over Haas.

Federer’s fellow countryman, the third-seeded Wawrinka, defeated Andreas Seppi, 6-0, 6-2 to advance to the Round of 16, and in the process, remained undefeated at 13-0 to date in 2014.

"Today was an amazing match," Wawrinka said. "I can't complain. Playing that great, it's good. That level, it depends a little bit who you play, but I'm really, really happy with my match today. I'm moving really well, and every time I can play aggressive it makes a difference."

Wawrinka will face Kevin Anderson in the Round of 16, a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 winner over Evgeny Donskoy. Wawrinka holds a perfect 3-0 career record over Anderson in three meetings.

Also on Monday, it was the fifth-seeded Andy Murray who rallied from being down in both the second and third sets to overcome Jiri Vesely 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 48 minutes. Murray will next face the number 10 seed, Milos Raonic, who advanced to the Round of 16 after his 6-4, 6-3 win over Alejandro Falla. Raonic is 2-1 lifetime against Murray, last meeting two years ago in the Tokyo semifinals.

"The most important thing today was that I won," said Murray. "I wasn't happy with the way that I played. It's kind of days like that where I could have lost the match and you don't get an opportunity until Miami to play better or to improve some things. It's good to have the chance to play another match here and hopefully put in a better performance"


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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