By Adrianna Outlaw | Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Eyes riveted on the ball, Grigor Dimitrov is a study in concentration at Indian Wells.
Photo credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
In a pulsating Generation Next match, Grigor Dimitrov rallied from 4-5 down in the decider to edge Nick Kyrgios, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 in an Indian Wells first-week thriller.
Photo Gallery: Dressing Down At Indian Wells
The 11th-seeded Bulgarian believes he's maturing and learning. Dimitrov takes on 17th-seeded Tommy Robredo next.
"Slowly I'm becoming a better player; becoming definitely a student of the game," Dimitrov said. "I'm starting to love the game even more in a way, to accept more, and I think that gives you the opportunity to put yourself in a better way when you're out there on the court."
Photo credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
Kyrgios delivered some electrifying shot-making, including this tweener.
Rolling his right ankle and tumbling to the court while scoring the first break of the decisive set, a hobbled Kyrgios waved off the trainer and tried serving out the match at 5-4. But Kyrgios could not close.
" It obviously played a big part in serving out the match because I hadn't been broken before that," Kyrgios said afterward. "I thought I was just gonna carry the momentum. I thought [my ankle] could blow up waiting [for the trainer] like that. I thought I would just go out and serve it out."
A painful loss lingers: The two-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist damaged ligaments in his right foot and will be sidelined for two to four weeks, forcing him out of this month's Miami Open.
Set aside the gluten-free diet and acrobatic flexibility for a moment, now we know the real reason Novak Djokovic is so speedy around court: It's the aerodynamic 'do.
Three-time former Indian Wells singles champion Rafael Nadal is a dynamic doubles competitor in the desert.
Nadal partnered Pablo Carreno Busta to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the sixth-seeded tandem of Marcel Granollers and Nadal's good friend, Marc Lopez. Nadal and Lopez captured the BNP Paribas Open doubles crown in 2010 and 2012.
Photo credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
German Fed Cup teammates Sabine Lisicki and Andrea Petkovic joined forces as doubles partners for the first time and shared smiles on and off court after their second-round victory.
Photo Credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
The day after Mardy Fish made his singles comeback in a losing cause against Ryan Harrison, Fish partnered Grigor Dimitrov in doubles against David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco.
Photo Credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
Wild card Thanasi Kokkinakis showed toughness grinding out a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (5) decision over Juan Monaco to set up an all-Aussie third-round clash with Davis Cup teammate Bernard Tomic. Kokkinakis also partnered Andy Murray in an opening-round doubles triumph.
"I think that's one of my big strengths, how I deal with things mentally in matches," Kokkinakis said after out-dueling Monaco. "I have shown I can get through a lot of tough, tight ones, even when I'm not playing my best tennis, which is a huge thing for me."
Photo Credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
Gaining entry into this exclusive club is more demanding than qualifying for the BNP Paribas Open main draw: Former world No. 1 Indian Wells champions convene on the roof of the stadium.
Caroline Garcia knows what's up: Her results. The talented Frenchwoman defeated No. 5 seed Ana Ivanovic for the second straight tournament. Garcia will play No. 25 seed Lisicki next for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Photo Credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
In her first Indian Wells appearance since 2001, Serena Williams concedes she's nervous, jitters haven't stopped Serena from scoring a pair of straight-sets wins. The world No. 1 meets compatriot Sloane Stephens, who beat Williams in the 2013 Australian Open quarterfinals.
Photo Gallery: Indian Wells Day 1
Photo Credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
A red-hot Timea Bacsinszky is rolling on a career-best 14 match winning streak, including a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory over No. 8 seed Ekaterina Makarova.
To put that number in perspective, the Swiss won all of 11 matches in 2014.
"I have no idea where it comes from," Bacsinszky said ahead of a first career appearance in the BNP Paribas Open's round of 16. "I mean, for sure hard work, but it's a lot. It shows us that humans have resources that sometimes they don't even suspect."
Photo Credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
No. 23 seed Elina Svitolina shows a smile after defeating 10th-seeded Lucie Safarova 7-6 (5), 7-5. The entertaining Svitolina will try to snap Bacsinszky's 14-match winning streak when they square off for a spot in the quarterfinals against the winner of the Serena Williams-Sloane Stephens match.
U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori beat Fernando Verdasco to reach the round of 16 where he faces another Spanish lefthander, No. 12 seed Feliciano Lopez.
Photo Credit: Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots)
The desert at dusk is a beautiful sight.