Croat Ivan Ljubicic celebrated his first Masters 1000 title after upsetting seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick 7-6, 7-6 in the final of the Indian Wells ATP tournament on Sunday.
|Last Updated: Mar 22, 2010, 09:59 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Indian Wells: Croat Ivan Ljubicic celebrated his first Masters 1000 title after upsetting seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick 7-6, 7-6 in the final of the Indian Wells ATP tournament on Sunday.
The big-serving Ljubicic, seeded 20th, fired down 20 aces and hit 42 winners to seal an emotional victory in just over two hours on the stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Appearing in his fourth Masters final, the 31-year-old clinched the second-set tiebreak 7-5 after unleashing a booming service winner before thrusting both arms skywards.
Ljubicic then removed his sweatband before walking to the net to shake hands with Roddick, who had saved three match points in the tiebreak after clawing his way back from 5-1 down
"It`s a really fantastic feeling to finally have it," former world number three Ljubicic told reporters after earning the crystal winner`s trophy and his 10th ATP title.
"There were times -- 2005, 2006 -- when I really felt I deserved one," he said, referring to his runner-up spots in Masters events. "It gives something special to your career."
Ljubicic had played some of the best tennis of his life at Indian Wells, eliminating second seed Novak Djokovic in the fourth round and third seed Rafa Nadal in the semi-finals.
The 6ft 4in (1.93m) Croat maintained that form in Sunday`s final with an all-round power game shrewdly mixed with clever angles and deft touches at the net.
"The fact that I won here doesn`t make me the number three, number five player in the world," said the Croat. "I just need to be realistic and try to consolidate these results.”
Hard Time
"I know how difficult it is to beat me ... and I`m gonna give a hard time to everybody who is gonna be on the other side of the net. That`s the only thing I can promise."
Roddick, bidding to become the first American champion here since Andre Agassi in 2001, made a poor start and trailed 0-40 on serve in the opening game before recovering to hold.
He then had Ljubicic in similar trouble in the fourth but the Croat dug his way back to hold after blasting consecutive aces before hitting a backhand winner down the line.
Neither player was broken, however, and the set went into a tiebreak which Ljubicic clinched 7-3 after hitting an exquisite forehand crosscourt pass.
The second set also went with serve, although Roddick was unable to convert two break points in the ninth game when his opponent responded each time with strong first serves.
The match went into another tiebreak and again Ljubicic held the upper hand. The Croat delivered back-to-back aces to lead 4-1 and he extended that advantage to 5-1 after Roddick netted a forehand.
Although the American saved three match points while battling back to 5-6, Ljubicic made no mistake with his fourth opportunity with a kicking first serve Roddick was unable to return.
"He served great," said Roddick. "The last two days was an exhibition in how-to on serving big points.”
"I felt like I was getting aced or he was hitting a service winner every time I`d worked my way into a game. I felt I had a lot more opportunities throughout the sets than he did, but he just served hugely."
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.