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3/17/09 3:58 PM | Ricky Dimon
Roger Federer led the charge into the Indian Wells fourth round on Monday. He is joined there by a host of players who thrive on slower surfaces.
Fed Express
Roger Federer avenged his surprising loss to Ivo Karlovic at last summer's Masters Series Cincinnati with a straight-set win over the 6'10'' Croat. Federer--not unexpectedly--never faced a break point. The world No. 2 took the first set a tiebreaker and used one break of serve in the second to finish off the match in one hour and 13 minutes. He also committed a mere seven unforced errors. Karlovic blasted 13 aces, 12 more than his opponent, but could not deliver the goods at the crucial moments like he did in Cincinnati. Next up for Federer is a rematch of the 2007 Australian Open final with Fernando Gonzalez.
Is this tournament on clay?
1. Tommy Robredo - The Spaniard is seeded four spots ahead of Cilic (15 to 19), but Cilic had to be considered a slight favorite. Both players went into Indian Wells in fine form, both owners of multiple titles already in 2009. Robredo's titles, however, came on clay, while Cilic captured his on hard courts...but not on these slow hard courts of Indian Wells. The 6'6'' Croat's serve had little effect on his opponent and Robredo broke an incredible five times en route to a straight-set victory.
2. Fernando Gonzalez - The Chilean can beat Blake on any surface, but he would much prefer to face the American on a slow surface due to Blake's ball-bashing tendencies. Gonzalez is far more willing to play long points from the baseline, whereas Blake likes to end things whenever he gets an opportunity with the forehand. In a rematch of their controversial semifinal clash at the Olympics (which Gonzalez also won), Gonzalez dominated Blake 7-5, 6-1 in just one hour and five minutes.
3. Igor Andreev - The Russian has developed into a solid hard-court player, but clay remains his surface of choice. Tsonga, on the other hand, prefers to use his power on faster surfaces and Andreev would have little chance against the Frenchman on grass, indoors, or on fast outdoor hard courts. At the Masters Series Indian Wells, not only did Andreev have a chance, but he won in straight sets. He broke Tsonga three times and dropped serve only once despite the fact that Tsonga finished with a much higher first-serve percentage. Andreev can thank the surface for that.
4. Fernando Verdasco - It's hard to imagine Richard Gasquet beating Verdasco on any surface, at any place, and at any time right now. But the slow hard courts of Indian Wells certainly did not the Spaniard's chances. It looked like he had Gasquet on a string from the baseline throughout all 67 minutes of this match. Verdasco broke Gasquet five times in a 6-3, 6-2 drubbing.
Quote of the day
"That doesn't mean nothing if I was singing." -- Rafael Nadal, when asked if the fact that he was singing when he entered the press room meant that he was in a good mood.
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