March 17, 2010

ATP Tennis- Roger Federer Struggles but Advances to Third Round at Indian Wells

By Ally White

Switzerland’s Roger Federer survived a difficult match on Sunday against Romanian Victor Hanescu. He managed to beat the Romanian 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 in the second round of the tennis tournament at Indian Wells, but only after struggling through an hour and 57 minutes of play. Federer hadn’t participated in any tournaments since the Australian Open, suffering from a lung infection in late February that prevented him from participating in the Dubai Open.

Federer, who is looking for his fourth title at Indian Wells, showed forcefulness and effectiveness in the first set, losing only one point on serve and breaking Hanescu’s serve in the second game. After winning the first set 6-3 in 30 minutes, the world No. 1 appeared headed towards a straightforward victory.

However, in the second set, the winner of sixteen grand slams suffered a surprising break in his serve in the sixth game – Hanescu hit a reverse winner along the line. Nevertheless, Federer came back, bringing the score to 6-6, but then fell behind 3-0 in the tiebreak. Hanescu eventually won the set after Federer sent a long backhand.

The brief setback seemed to wake the Swiss player up. Things returned to normal in the third set, with Federer breaking his opponent’s serve in the second and sixth game, winning the set with a crushing 6-1 score. With the final set win, Federer took the match and advanced to the next round.

During the match, the Romanian got 76 percent of his first serves, compared to the Swiss’s 55 percent. However, Federer finished with 10 aces while Hanescu only converted 1 ace, making a big difference in the match.

After the match, Federer stated that he felt good with the way he played despite struggling in the second.

"I was happy with the way I played. Not having played for so long, I thought it was a good matches overall. I missed maybe some of the clutch serving when I really needed it. Victor did well to hang in there, because I was all over him for at least a set and a half.

“Let's say 30-all, deuce, I couldn't really get that one perfect serve I was sometimes looking for. But that's something that happens," Federer said.

In the next round, Federer will face Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis, who beat Frenchman Arnaud Clement 7-6 (9-7), 6-1 and is currently seeded 27th in the tournament.

Federer has won the Indian Wells Masters 1000 title in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

About the Author

Ally White is a top senior copywriter for the international tennis games as well as the top ranking online sports betting site: www.instantactionsports.com/uk/

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