Indian Wells Day 8 review: Federer and Djokovic advance, Wawrinka and Murray bow out
Roger Federer in action during his Indian Wells 4th round match against Tommy Haas
Day 8 at Indian Wells saw the women play half of their quarterfinal matches while the men rounded off their pre-quarterfinals. Here’s a look at the most significant results:
Men’s 4th round
Ukrainian 28th seed Alexandr Dolgopolov advanced to the quarters as he overcame Italian 13th seed Fabio Fognini 6-2 6-4. Dolgopolov advanced comfortably as Fognini crumbled in the face of pressure, as he often does. The mercurial Italian had one of his off days and fell easily.
Dolgopolov’s opponent will be Milos Raonic. The Canadian defeated Brit Andy Murray in a thrilling three-setter 4-6 7-5 6-3. Some would say it was an upset, but Murray’s form indicated otherwise. Raonic, normally an ace-machine, went at less then an ace-a-game but dominated with his fantastic groundstrokes in the second and third sets. Murray struggled on his own serve, something no one can afford against Milos, and deservedly lost.
Prediction for quarterfinal: Raonic to defeat Dolgopolov in two sets
Swiss third seed Stanislas Wawrinka was shocked by South African Kevin Anderson as he fell 6-7 6-4 1-6. The first set was tightly contested and Anderson squeezed out the tie-break. Wawrinka showed signs of recovery in the second but was absolutely blown away in the third.
Roger Federer was also in action and he was clinical against German veteran Tommy Haas in a 6-4 6-4 win. Cheered on by his twins, it was a no-nonsense performance by the 17-time grand slam champion. The German veteran gave Federer a fight, but the Swiss never allowed the match to get too tight.
Prediction for quarterfinal: Federer to defeat Anderson in two sets
America’s last hope on the men’s side, John Isner battled past Fernando Verdasco in a 7-6 3-6 6-3 win. Isner excited the crowd in a fantastic match and advanced to the quarters.
Isner’s opponent will be Latvian Ernests Gulbis. The 20th-seeded “Ernie” overcame surprise opponent Roberto Bautista Agut in a 7-6 4-6 6-2 win. The two players played an exciting first set which ended with Gulbis playing a perfect tie-break; he won it without losing a single point. Agut took the second set but Gulbis was too good in the third.
Prediction for quarterfinal: Gulbis to defeat Isner in a see-saw 3-setter
No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic also advanced, defeating 24th seed Marin Cilic 1-6 6-2 6-3. Djokovic was absolutely blown away in the first set by Cilic’s aggressive strokes. However, order was restored in the second set as Cilic returned to a duller, safer and much less effective style of play, one which would prevent him from beating his opponent on the night.
Djokovic now plays Frenchman Julien Benneteau. Benneteau defeated mercurial Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3 7-6 in a solid performance. Julien never looked in too much trouble and continues his fantastic run.
Prediction for quarterfinal: Djokovic to defeat Benneteau in three sets
Women’s quaterfinals
Romanian sixth seed Simona Halep advanced to the semi-finals with a straightforward 6-2 6-2 win. Halep was a winner of 6 WTA Tour titles last year and came into the match in good form, having conquered “Genie and her army” (Eugenie Bouchard) in the previous round. Her opponent Casey Dellacqua didn’t play in the round-of-16 as Lauren Davis had pulled out. Halep was dominant throughout and never looked in any sort of trouble. Dellacqua couldn’t do much to withstand the Romanian’s onslaught. Halep is now through to the semi-finals.
Halep’s opponent? Agniezka Radwanska. Aga defeated Jelena Jankovic in what was an intriguing match. The three-setter ended with Aga going through 7-5 2-6 6-4. Radwanska took the first set but typically struggled in the second, going down, 2-6. But once again, she showed character when it mattered, winning the third and the match.
Prediction for semifinal: Halep to defeat Radwanska in three sets