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3/14/09 2:36 PM | Ricky Dimon
With all of the seeded players still resting, Novak Djokovic had some time to talk on Friday at the Masters Series Indian Wells. On-the-court news was made by a plethora of unheralded Americans.
Don't cry for me, Argentina
Five Argentines were in action at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday and Martin Vassallo Arguello saved the country from going an imperfect 0-5. Vassallo Arguello, best known for being Nikolay Davydenko's opponent in the betting scandal match, ousted qualifier Rik De Voest 7-5, 7-6(3). The rest of his countrymen were not as fortunate. Guillermo Canas fell to Sam Querrey, Diego Junqueira was eliminated by wildcard Taylor Dent, Juan Ignacio Chela retired while trailing Andreas Seppi, and Eduardo Schwank was upset by Nicolas Massu. Vassallo Arguello's reward for carrying the Argentine flag on Friday? A second-round date against No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic.
Bigger is better
John Isner (6'9'') is more than a foot taller than Christophe Rochus (5'7'') and the difference on the court was just as big. Isner clobbered Rochus 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and two minutes. Such a blowout is even more extraordinary when you consider how few lopsided matches Isner plays due to so few breaks of serve. On Friday night, however, the towering American seized an incredible five breaks of his opponent's serve. Isner got broken once himself in the second set, but he used two breaks of the Belgian to overcome it. Next up for Isner, who fired 14 aces past Rochus, is No. 9 seed Gael Monfils.
Born to be wild
Friday was all about capitalizing on opportunities. Isner was one of three American wildcard entrants to advance to the Indian Wells second round. Joining him in the second round are Ryan Sweeting, who knocked out fellow American Wayne Odesnik in a third-set tiebreaker, and out-of-retirement Dent, who dispatched Junqueira 6-1, 7-6(3). And that's not all. Five qualifiers also made their way through opening matches: Michael Berrer, Daniel Koellerer, and Americans Todd Widom, Robert Kendrick, and Michael Russell. Of those eight winners, Dent probably has the best chance of securing another victory. He faces No. 30 seed Jurgen Melzer on Sunday. The least likely to advance another round? Berrer, who goes up against Rafael Nadal.
Quote of the day
"It's one of my favorite animals, and I think it describes in some way my personality as well. I play a pretty aggressive game, and I'm very emotional, and I'm kind of connected to that bird. My grandfather used to call me always when I was younger, 'Falcon, falcon.' Doesn't make any sense in English but in our language it does." -- Novak Djokovic, on his signature Adidas line, which features an image of a falcon.
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