The singles' winners at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, came as a surprise to almost everyone. Ivan Ljubicic, a player who almost always makes a strong showing approaching the finals but inevitably loses out, defeated Andy Roddick in straight sets. And Jelena Jankovic also defeated Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets.
Ljubicic's win comes after being eliminated in round 1 of 5 tournaments in a row last year that had him completely questioning whether or not to remain in tennis.
This win moves Ljubicic by about 13 places in the world rankings, pushing him within just a few of the top 10 and putting him in the top 20 again, a ranking he hasn't seen in over 2 years. It's his first ATP Masters 1000 victory, though he has come in as the runner up 3 times before. It also makes him the second-oldest winner here, second only to Jimmy Connors who won here in 1984 at just 5 months older than Ljubicic.
Ljubicic managed 20 aces through the match, the last of which became his 4th match point. The next serve took the tournament, making the final score 7-6(3), 7-6(5). Roddick and Ljubicic are both known for their powerful, huge serves so the focus was on the men's serves rather than the back-and-forth play many matches are known for. Ljubicic said it was a mental game, as much as anything else but he was relaxed near the end and that helped him succeed.
Had Andy Roddick pulled out the victory that everyone expected, he'd have been the first American man to win this tournament since 2001. Last time he met Ljubicic at Indian Wells, Roddick did beat him, but only after 2 tiebreakers. That was in 2007. Overall, Roddick has beaten Ljubicic 7 out of 10 times. Roddick said that he was doing well on the rallies, but lost on the big point serves
No one not in the top 20 has won a Masters victory since 2007 when David Nalbandian, then ranked at #21, managed it. Ljubicic came close in 2005 in Masters finals against current #2, Rafael Nadal and also Tomas Berdych. Then in 2006 in Miami, he played the finals but lost to current #1 player Roger Federer. He admits that an examination of his career seems to show he's missing some important piece of the puzzle, but that this victory adds something back.
In women's singles, former #1 Jankovic played well against Wozniacki, ending the match with 6-2, 6-4, to win her first title in the last 7 months. She held the number 1 spot two years ago, and should return to an 8th place ranking after this victory. It marks her 12th career win. Wozniacki, at only 19-years-old, will elevate to #2. She was a finalist in last year's U. S. Open, and lost to Kim Clijsters. This was her 4th meet-up against Jankovic, and her 4th loss against her
Jankovic was elated after the tournament and kissed her racket in front of the crowd.
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