Ebden Takes Down Fish; Isner Up Next

Australian qualifier Matt Ebden knocked out top American Mardy Fish on Monday afternoon in Indian Wells and has his sights set on upsetting the American No. 2, John Isner, for a place in the quarter-finals at the BNP Paribas Open.

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Rolling Speed #4- Allan McNish interview

Join Paul Charsley and Allan McNish as they discuss the upcoming 12 hours of Sebring, Audi and the details of racing in the world’s most advanced sports cars

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Roddick, Fish out in Indian Wells; Sharapova wins

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP)â€"Top-ranked Novak Djokovic defeated Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Monday, while American men had mixed results, with No. 8 Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick knocked out and John Isner winning.
 
Djokovic broke Anderson’s serve once in each set playing in the heat of the day at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where he won in 2008 and last year when the Serb claimed three Grand Slam titles and went 70-6. Djokovic successfully defended his Australian Open title to open the year.
 
Anderson, the 29th seed from South Africa who won last week’s tournament in Delray Beach, Fla., managed one break in the first set. Five games went to deuce, including five deuces before Djokovic held to lead 3-2 in the first. Djokovic beat Anderson in straight sets for the fourth straight time.

“He’s very aggressive on the return games,” Djokovic said. “He has a great serve, as you can imagine for his height, so I had to return well, I had to just be patient, and wait for my chances. I haven’t served well in the opening set, but then it all came down to his service games. I served well and put a lot of pressure on him and returned really, really good.”
 
In the day’s biggest upsets, No. 6 seed Sam Stosur lost to 30th-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5) in a rematch of their three-set U.S. Open marathon last year. That was the longest women’s match since the tiebreaker was introduced, with Stosur winning on her way to claiming the title.
 
On the men’s side, Fish was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by qualifier Matthew Ebden of Australia, with Fish getting penalized for hindrance. Roddick lost to No. 7 Tomas Berdych 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Roddick, seeded 30th, fell to 5-5 on the year, having lost 13 of his last 14 matches against top-10 players.
 
Roddick had never before dropped a set against Berdych when playing in the U.S.
 
Big-serving Isner moved on, while young American Ryan Harrison played a night match.
 
No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova defeated Simona Halep of Romania 6-3, 6-4 in their first career meeting. Sharapova is one of three former winners remaining in the field, with Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic also in the bottom half of the draw.
 
After a slow start, Sharapova picked up her game in the second set.
 
“Almost too good, where I felt like I was going for a lot and making a lot of shots. Then felt like I almost started going for a little bit too much,” she said. “Instead of being patient, putting a few more balls back, I just hit a few errors that I shouldn’t have made. I got it together in the end.”
 
Francesca Schiavone became the eighth player to withdraw because of a viral illness sweeping the Coachella Valley.
 
The Italian retired after losing the first set 6-2 to Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic. The tournament’s medical provider says the virus causes nausea, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea and is being transmitted by air and direct contact. It is not food-related. Vera Zvonareva also withdrew with a different viral illness.
 
“Definitely washing my hands as much as possible,” Petrova said. “I’m going to have a sanitizer in my racquet bag. I’m trying to eat outside of the site, so trying to take as many precautions as possible. Gotta be careful.”
 
Sharapova said she had a similar virus a few years ago.
 
“It’s a great diet, but other than that it’s horrible, especially for an athlete,” she said.
 
Asked if she was taking precautions, Sharapova joked, “… (if) I have a few extra interviews, I’ll be like, `Nah, you know that virus. Might not make it.”’
 
Wozniacki was to play a night match against Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.
 
Petrova had more winners, 15-2, and 15 aces despite not serving as well as Stosur, although the Russian had a pile of unforced errors.
 
“It was tough battle in the third set, and I was really pumped when I broke her at 6-5 when she was serving for the match,” Petrova said. “I knew this was my time to win the match.”
 
Fish was hit with the hindrance rule for yelling, “Come on!” before Ebden got to the ball after Fish’s volley winner in the next-to-last game of the match. It was the same penalty that sent Serena Williams into a rage against an official during the U.S. Open final she lost to Stosur.
 
Stosur had lunged at a shot but Williams yelled the same thing as Fish before the ball landed. Ebden threw up his hands, clearly annoyed by Fish’s outburst.
 
“It was right under the umpire’s nose, so it was pretty clear what happened,” Ebden said. “I did get there in reasonable time to hit the ball. I still had a decent play on it.”
 
The International Tennis Federation rule can be interpreted either by giving the point to the opponent if the hindrance was considered deliberate or by replaying the point if the hindrance was considered unintentional. By giving the point to Ebden, chair umpire Felix Torralba interpreted Fish’s yell as deliberate interference. Fish refused the traditional post-match handshake with Torralba.
 
“I don’t think it had an effect on him making or missing the shot. But I feel like maybe (play) a let there, unless he hits the shot in. Then that’s different,” said Fish, who was serving. “I’ve never done that before on tour in my life. I was just trying to fire myself up.”
 
Other winners Monday were: No. 7 Marion Bartoli, No. 20 Maria Kirilenko, No. 21 Roberta Vinci, No. 12 Nicolas Almagro, No. 13 Giles Simon, and Pablo Andujar.
 
Top-ranked Americans Bob and Mike Bryan survived a marathon second-round doubles match, beating the Spanish duo of Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4), 17-15.

F1 Biography- Charles Pic

The second and, therefore, final member of the 2012 Formula One season rookie crop is Marussia’s Charles Pic.  Hailing from Montelimar, Pic does not have quite the racing pedigree of French compatriot Jean-Eric Vergne, who will be in the mid-field Toro Rossa.  In fact, Pic has made it all the way to F1 without having

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Sharapova through to fourth round of Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, California (AP)â€"Top-ranked Novak Djokovic defeated Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Monday, improving his match record to 12-1 this year.
 
Djokovic broke Anderson’s serve once in each set playing in the heat of the day at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, where he won in 2008 and last year when the Serb claimed three Grand Slam titles and went 70-6. Djokovic successfully defended his Australian Open title to open the year.
 
Anderson, the 29th seed from South Africa who won last week’s tournament in Florida, managed one break in the first set. Five games went to deuce before Djokovic held to lead 3-2 in the first.

“He’s very aggressive on the return games,” Djokovic said. “He has a great serve, as you can imagine for his height, so I had to return well, I had to just be patient, and wait for my chances. I haven’t served well in the opening set, but then it all came down to his service games. I served well and put a lot of pressure on him and returned really, really good.”
 
In the day’s biggest upsets, No. 6 seed Sam Stosur lost to 30th-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5) in a rematch of their three-set U.S. Open marathon last year. That 2011 encounter was the longest women’s match since the tiebreaker was introduced, with Stosur winning on her way to claiming the title.
 
On the men’s side, eighth-seeded American Mardy Fish was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden, with Fish getting penalized for hindrance.
 
Elsewhere, No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova defeated Simona Halep of Romania 6-3, 6-4. Sharapova is one of three former winners remaining in the field, with Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic also in the bottom half of the draw.
 
Francesca Schiavone became the eighth player to withdraw because of a viral illness sweeping the Coachella Valley.
 
The Italian player retired after losing the first set 6-2 to Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic. The tournament’s medical provider says the virus causes nausea, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea and is being transmitted by air and direct contact. It is not food-related. Vera Zvonareva also withdrew with a different viral illness.
 
“Definitely washing my hands as much as possible,” Petrova said. “I’m going to have a sanitizer in my racquet bag. I’m trying to eat outside of the site, so trying to take as many precautions as possible. Gotta be careful.”
 
Big-serving John Isner defeated Juan Monaco 7-5, 7-5, leading a contingent of Americans in action as the tournament began its second week. Andy Roddick and Ryan Harrison played third-round matches later.
 
Wozniacki was to play a night match against Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.
 
Fish was hit with the hindrance rule for yelling, “Come on!” before Ebden got to the ball after Fish’s volley winner in the next-to-last game of the match. It was the same penalty that sent Serena Williams into a rage against an official during the U.S. Open final she lost to Stosur.
 
Stosur had lunged at a shot but Williams yelled the same thing as Fish before the ball landed. Ebden threw up his hands, clearly annoyed by Fish’s outburst.
 
“It was right under the umpire’s nose, so it was pretty clear what happened,” Ebden said. “I did get there in reasonable time to hit the ball. I still had a decent play on it.”
 
The International Tennis Federation rule can be interpreted either by giving the point to the opponent if the hindrance was considered deliberate or by replaying the point if the hindrance was considered unintentional. By giving the point to Ebden, chair umpire Felix Torralba interpreted Fish’s yell as deliberate interference. Fish refused the traditional post-match handshake with Torralba.
 
“I don’t think it had an effect on him making or missing the shot. But I feel like maybe (play) a let there, unless he hits the shot in. Then that’s different,” said Fish, who was serving. “I’ve never done that before on tour in my life. I was just trying to fire myself up.”
 
Other winners Monday were: No. 7 Marion Bartoli, No. 20 Maria Kirilenko, No. 21 Roberta Vinci, No. 12 Nicolas Almagro, No. 13 Giles Simon, and Pablo Andujar.
 
Top-ranked Americans Bob and Mike Bryan survived a marathon second-round doubles match, beating the Spanish duo of Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4), 17-15.

Boxer Tim Bradley Compares Style To Roddick

Undefeated boxer Tim Bradley came out to the BNP Paribas Open to see the world’s best tennis players battle it out on court in Indian Wells Sunday afternoon. Nicknamed “Desert Storm”, Bradley is the current WBO Light Welterweight champion.

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Formula1blog.com Podcast #254

Join Grace, Paul and me as we discuss Tavo, Marussia, HRT, Mr. E, Lewis and the Australian GP predictions. Fashion award winners here

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Paes: "I’m Playing For The History Books"

Leander Paes reflects on reaching the 600 doubles match wins milestone, playing with 87 different partners and the most meaningful win of his career in this interview with ATPWorldTour.com.

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Rafa: Fast serving not right for my game

Rafael Nadal explains why he no longer attempts to hit big serves, like he did at time during his title run at the 2010 U.S. Open.

"I served very fast during all the U.S. Open because I felt that I had the perfect feeling on the serve,” he told reporters at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. "But the week before in Cincinnati my serve didn't work that well. Because at that moment I was serving fantastic. I had the feeling that to win the U.S. Open I had to serve faster. Worked well in that tournament, but in general, I don't need to serve that fast.

"The problem when I am serving fast, the percentage is going a little bit down. The problem is if I don't serve the perfect serve the ball come back faster, so I need to play a little bit slower game to have the control of the point. And serving that fast I can have more free points, but my mentality and my style of game doesn't go to this way. When I am serving that fast, I tried in another times, but I feel like I am losing a little bit the control of my whole game. That's why I am trying to serve as fast again with the right percentage, and trying to start the point the right way to have the control of the point with my forehand, or try to hit the first ball in a good position with my forehand. Today I can go on court and serve 132 miles with not many problems. The problem is probably is not the right tactic for my game."

Stosur loses to Petrova in marathon

A stomach virus circulating throughout Indian Wells forced seven players to withdraw or retire from the field. Nadia Petrova arrived in the desert dealing with a different sort of illnessâ€"she was sick and tired of losing. The former world No. 3 had not won a singles match since the Australian Open, and was on a six-match losing skid to Top 10-opponents. So when Petrova, who blew a match point in a second-set tiebreaker today, dropped serve to hand Samantha Stosur a 6-5 lead in the final set, it seemed her season of futility would continue.
 
But the Russian had other ideas. The No. 30 seed found a remedy in her serve and resilience, firing 15 aces to edge Stosur, 6-1, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), in a two-hour, 46-minute emotional tug of war to reach the fourth round of Indian Wells for the fifth time.
 
It was Petrova's first win over a member of the Top 10 since she beat, of all people, Stosur, at New Haven in 2010. Stosur avenged that loss at the 2011 U.S. Open with a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5 decision that spanned three hours and 16 minutesâ€"the longest women's match at Flushing Meadows since the introduction of the tiebreakâ€"but couldn't edge out another win today.
 
Petrova pounded three consecutive aces to close out the 30-minute opening set in emphatic style. The Moscow native won 16 of 20 points played on her serve in the first set, and claimed nine of the first 11 games before Stosur, whose slice backhand was more of an uncommitted poke at the outset, began to find her range while Petrova's lofty service level started to dip.
 
Like Serena Williams, the champion Stosur vanquished in the U.S. Open final last September, the Aussie does not call for on-court coaching, preferring to solve her own problems. Whatever she told herself, it worked: Petrova served for the match at 5-4, only to squander a 30-15 lead. Then, after hitting a stinging serve winner down the middle to earn a match point at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker, Petrova wouldn't win another point in the overtime. Stosur smacked a serve winner to stave off elimination, and two points later sent a two-handed backhand return down the line to draw an error and take the second set. Stosur's backhand, which had been the weak link all day, delivered in a massive moment.
 
A topsy-turvy decider saw Petrova clank three double faults to gift wrap a break and a 3-2 lead, but she broke right back when Stosur flailed a forehand five feet wide. Ultimately, the match was decided by nerve and serve: Petrova held at love in her next two service games, but gagged in blowing a 40-15 lead and dropping serve in the 11th game. Stosur stepped up to serve it out, but like Petrova in the previous set, couldn't seal the deal. Petrova broke back at 15 to force the decisive tiebreaker.
 
A fine forehand volley winner gave Petrova a 4-2 edge, and when Stosur netted yet another backhand, the underdog had two more match points. Stosur sent a forehand wide, concluding the struggle as Petrova exhaled in relief.
 
â€"Richard Pagliaro

Ivanovic, Jankovic likely to play Fed Cup semis

It looks likely that Ana Ivanovic will rejoin compatriot Jelena Jankovic and the Serbian Fed Cup team for their semifinal against Russia, April 21-22 in Moscow. The Russian just announced that they will host the tie in Moscow on indoor clay, which means that the players will not have to go from clay to hard to clay again.

The 17th-ranked Ivanovic did not play in Serbia's 3-2 away win against Belgium in the first round. It is the first time that Serbia has reached the Fed Cup semis. Both Ivanovic and Jankovic played against Russia in the first round in 2010 in Belgrade, when Jankovic won both her singles matches, Ivanovic lost both of hers, and then they beaten quickly by Svetlana Kuznetsova and Alisa Kleybanova in the doubles clincher.

"I  just heard the news about the surface and obviously place, and it did make a bit of a difference because obviously it's a lot better playing on clay," Ivanovic told reporters at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. "So obviously that makes it a bit easier for a decision. I’m really trying to put that a priority and trying to fit it in the schedule."

Jankovic and Ivanovic are not friends but are be willing to play on the same team.
"Obviously it's the greatest thing, strongest team, and we have a really huge chance if she plays and if we are complete,” Jankovic said. "So it's not easy not when I play and some of the other girls in the team which are lower ranked, they have to play and we are playing such a tough team, which is Russia, and they're all the top players there.  It's not gonna be easy." - MC

Ivanovic: Bad '08 decision not all my fault

Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic says that the toughest stint in her career was after she won her sole Grand Slam title at 2008 Roland Garros and became injured with both thumb and wrist injuries shortly afterward. She kept attempting to practice and compete, but had little to show for it. She ended up having to pull out of the Olympics and lost early at the US Open.

"When I played US Open, I played it with like five days of practice," she told reporters at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. "So I would still play US Open, but I probably would have taken time off straightaway rather than later. I think it affected a bit my confidence, especially with all the expectations as the world No. 1."

Ivanovic, who was only 20 at the time, admitted that she was not the only one who was responsible for her decision to keep attempting to get on court when she probably should have rested.

"I was the one who was motivated and who wanted to practice,” said Ivanovic, who was being coached by adidas player development at the time. “But still, I think people around me could have stepped up a little bit more. Because I was really young, and I didn't know what to expect with all the expectations. I was doing so well, and I never really had big disappointment.  So I felt like, “Oh, I can do anything. I can even play with one hand.’ There were people who maybe should have said, ‘Hey, you know, just step aside a little bit and this and that.’  But it was their first time probably, as well. So I can't really blame anyone. But I would have maybe changed that now with the experience I have." - Matt Cronin

Djokovic downs Golubev in opener

INDIAN WELLS, Calif.â€"Andrey Golubev beat Djokovic two weeks ago in Dubai. But it was the wrong Djokovic. The No. 2 Kazakhstan-player dismissed Marko Djokovic, Novak's 20-year-old brother in the Middle East. Today in the California desert, Djokovic got revenge for his younger brother's loss by bullying Golubev 6-3, 6-2.
 
Once ranked No. 33 in 2010, the 24-year-old Golubev is a shot-maker of high order, but he lacks consistency. In Golubev's profile on the ATP web site, it states that "his goal is to be the world No. 1."  Today he played the world No. 1, and the No. 145th-ranked Golubev, who made his way through the qualifiers, got a first-hand tutorial on what it takes to be No. 1.

Controlling the middle of the court, Djokovic beat Golubev into submission by running the Kazakhistani all over the court. Able to absorb pace and return shots with interest, the Serb didn't play his cleanest match, but he had Golubev muttering to himself early and often and mis-hitting shots on both wings in this lopsided match. Playing on American soil for the first time since his U.S. Open triumph, and defending his title in Indian Wells, Djokovic displayed why only a heavy-hitting, relentless attack can offset him. Golubev has one of the nicest one-handed backhands on tour, and his ground strokes were probing enough to break Djokovic at 2-4 in the first set, but Djokovic broke right back. Even though, Golubev saved two set points at 3-5, Djokovic hit two big first serves to close out the set, 6-3.

In the second set, Djokovic broke in the third game and again to close out the match, when the beleaguered Kazakshtani hit three double faults and then saw a Djokovic backhand return of serve hit the net and dribble over for a winner. If there was any possible concern on Djokovic's part, it might be that he struck only one ace over the entire match. Kevin Anderson, who won in a walkover against Philipp Kohlschreiber, is Djokovic's third-round opponent. Anderson is seeded No. 29 at Indian Wells and just won the Delray Beach event last week. The 6-foot-8 South African also holds a Masters Series event win over the world No. 1, when he beat Djokovic in Miami in 2008. But since then, Djokovic has won their last three matches without dropping a set.
 
â€"Dan Markowitz

Federer fights past illness, Kudla

INDIAN WELLS, Calif.â€"The main news of the night was perhaps that Roger Federer actually did step onto the court, and leave it on his own two feet with a win. After a fall in practice on Friday, Twitter was awash with speculation that the world No. 3 was nursing an injury to his right hand. No twinge was in evidence tonight, and after a first set of fairly indifferent quality, Federer found an extra gear in the second to brush aside world No. 185 Denis Kudla, 6-4, 6-1.

I'd seen Kudla play Andy Roddick in San Jose, a match the American teen probably feels he should have won. Today, Kudla won quite a few free points off his own first serve, defended solidly, and showed a forceful down-the-line backhand. He didn't let his head drop when Federer broke twice in succession in the first set to go up 4-1, and when a Federer double fault at 30-all yielded a break point for Kudla, he took it with an aggressive backhand forcing an error.  That was Kudla's high point, though, as Federer was able to serve out the next two games without too much pressure.

Then Federer did something I've never seen him do, request a comfort break at the end of the first set of a three setter. Several players have been stricken by stomach troubles at this tournament, and after the match Federer owned up to a mild illness. Maybe Federer used the break to splash cold water on his face, because his game was crisper in the second set. Kudla was quickly broken twice, and by the end of the match Federer was playing freely, drawing a happy "Oh" from the crowd with a delicate, backhand drop-shot winner from behind the baseline at the end of a sparkling rally.

Federer put to rest the rumors of an arm injury in his press conference after the match, but he was fifteen minutes late coming in, and he looked flushed with low energy as he took questions. He told us that several members of his family are under the weather ("We have tons of stuff going on at the moment"), and although he has a slight fever, he's the least worst off among them ("Thank God I'm the tennis player.") He only has a couple of days to get healthy and ready for Milos Raonic, who'll be ready to rumble on Tuesday.

â€"Andrew Burton

Petrova defeats Stosur in marathon

A stomach virus circulating throughout Indian Wells forced seven players to withdraw or retire from the field. Nadia Petrova arrived in the desert dealing with a different sort of illnessâ€"she was sick and tired of losing. The former world No. 3 had not won a singles match since the Australian Open, and was on a six-match losing skid to Top 10-opponents. So when Petrova, who blew a match point in a second-set tiebreaker today, dropped serve to hand Samantha Stosur a 6-5 lead in the final set, it seemed her season of futility would continue.
 
But the Russian had other ideas. The No. 30 seed found a remedy in her serve and resilience, firing 15 aces to edge Stosur, 6-1, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), in a two-hour, 46-minute emotional tug of war to reach the fourth round of Indian Wells for the fifth time.
 
It was Petrova's first win over a member of the Top 10 since she beat, of all people, Stosur, at New Haven in 2010. Stosur avenged that loss at the 2011 U.S. Open with a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5 decision that spanned three hours and 16 minutesâ€"the longest women's match at Flushing Meadows since the introduction of the tiebreakâ€"but couldn't edge out another win today.
 
Petrova pounded three consecutive aces to close out the 30-minute opening set in emphatic style. The Moscow native won 16 of 20 points played on her serve in the first set, and claimed nine of the first 11 games before Stosur, whose slice backhand was more of an uncommitted poke at the outset, began to find her range while Petrova's lofty service level started to dip.
 
Like Serena Williams, the champion Stosur vanquished in the U.S. Open final last September, the Aussie does not call for on-court coaching, preferring to solve her own problems. Whatever she told herself, it worked: Petrova served for the match at 5-4, only to squander a 30-15 lead. Then, after hitting a stinging serve winner down the middle to earn a match point at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker, Petrova wouldn't win another point in the overtime. Stosur smacked a serve winner to stave off elimination, and two points later sent a two-handed backhand return down the line to draw an error and take the second set. Stosur's backhand, which had been the weak link all day, delivered in a massive moment.
 
A topsy-turvy decider saw Petrova clank three double faults to gift wrap a break and a 3-2 lead, but she broke right back when Stosur flailed a forehand five feet wide. Ultimately, the match was decided by nerve and serve: Petrova held at love in her next two service games, but gagged in blowing a 40-15 lead and dropping serve in the 11th game. Stosur stepped up to serve it out, but like Petrova in the previous set, couldn't seal the deal. Petrova broke back at 15 to force the decisive tiebreaker.
 
A fine forehand volley winner gave Petrova a 4-2 edge, and when Stosur netted yet another backhand, the underdog had two more match points. Stosur sent a forehand wide, concluding the struggle as Petrova exhaled in relief.
 
â€"Richard Pagliaro

Nadal wins first match since Aussie

Not since 2004 has two-time Indian Wells champion Rafael Nadal failed to progress to the semifinals in Southern California. If the streak was to be broken, today might have been the moment, with Nadal having taken a well-publicized break without a competitive match since the Australian Open. We have seen top players with first-round byes vulnerable to upsets by more match-hardened players, but any lingering possibilities in that direction were snuffed out in the first few minutes of Nadal’s 6-1, 6-3 defeat of Leonardo Mayer.

While the gulf in power and class between the opponents makes it difficult to draw any real conclusions about Nadal’s form going forward, there was no evidence of rust in the Spaniard’s play. Two double faults in his first two service games and a failure to attack as comprehensively as he might have on his opponent’s second serve are the worst criticisms that can be leveled at the world No. 2. Breaking in Mayer’s first service game and racing to a 5-0 lead, Nadal put forth an efficient performance, coming forward when it was necessary to finish off the point but otherwise content to stay behind the baseline and out-rally the Argentine, whose long, unhurried stroke preparation and single-handed backhand worked to his disadvantage throughout. Mayer spent most of the first set trading spin with Nadal, a tactic that probably accounts for its 27-minute duration.

To Mayer’s credit, however, he did manage to make himself the more compelling player in the second set, if only by virtue of unpredictably alternating quite beautiful shots with appalling ones. His effort to recover from the first-set beating to hold serve in the first game was praiseworthy, and although he never troubled his opponent in any serious way, when Mayer flattened out the ball, he managed to hit through Nadal at times. Unfortunately, he never managed to do that with any consistency. Repeatedly having put himself in a good position, Mayer often made a hash of the volley or smash required to finish Nadal off. Such an error, coupled with a double-fault, gave up the crucial break early in the second set, and he was broken again for the match, as his footwork let him down, sealing a straightforward victory for Nadal in 75 minutes.

All we can really conclude at this point is that Rafa has returned, and doesn’t look rusty as he begins the period he himself identifies as most crucial in his year. His fans should be happy and his opponents apprehensive on both counts.
 
â€"Hannah Wilks

Wozniacki: WTA scheduling too restrictive

Caroline Wozniacki says that the WTA is restricting players too much as to which tournaments they are allowed to play. The former No. 1 said that she wanted to defend her green clay-court title in Charleston this year, but was not allowed to and wants a more flexible schedule. WTA rules mandate that Top 10 players compete in the four Grand Slams, the WTA Championships (if they qualify), four Premier Mandatory tournaments, four Premier 5 events, and two Premier 700 tournaments, for a total of 15 tournament. They are also allowed to play two International Series events.

"I think [my] schedule would look just a little bit different," the Dane told reporters in Indian Wells. "Of course, as a player everyone wants to play the four Grand Slams and Indian Wells, Miamiâ€"the biggest tournaments. But sometimes the ones in between you would probably think, ‘Okay, what suits me? Where do I like to play? Where is the places where I do usually good results? Or where do I feel like my body just needs a break?’ Think you would just make some adjustments and make it better for yourself. In other sports they definitely don't have as many restrictions as we have. Going into the new year I know exactly what I'm going to play. I don't really have a choice, to be honest. Everything is set and I can maybe decide what two small tournaments I want to play. One of them is Copenhagen, which I don't have to, but I want to play. So I have one more tournament that is actually flexible. Then we have the rules with only two Top 6 players allowed to play the 700,000s, which also says, Okay, I want to play Charleston [a $700,000]. No, you're not allowed to. Why not?  I'm defending champion. Why can I not play? Well, you had two other commitments. It's just bad luck. I think there are some rules that could be done better…Yeah a little bit more flexibility for the players, because it's tough to go head to head against the top players all the time."

Wozniacki’s two 700-level tournaments are Dubai (which has already taken place) and Stuttgart, which is in April.

Currently, the two Top 6 players entered in Charleston are Agnieszka Radwanska and Samantha Stosur, but Radwanska was not in the Top 6 when the players first made up their tournament schedules last fall. No. 2 Maria Sharapova did enter Charleston, but is not planning on playing and will intsead play Stuttgart.

Wozniacki said after her press conference that she still might try and play Charleston; with Sharapova's impending withdrawal, that appears possible.â€"Matt Cronin

Garcia-Lopez shocks Murray at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, California (AP)â€"Novak Djokovic opened his bid for a third BNP Paribas Open championship with an easy victory Saturday, dispatching qualifier Andrey Golubev 6-3, 6-2.
 
The top-ranked Djokovic, a winner over Rafael Nadal last year in the finale at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and also the 2008 champion, is 23-4 on the slow PlexiPave courts that he said favor his game. The Serbian star will face South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in the third round.
 
Djokovic also beat Golubev, from Kazakhstan, in the second round last year.

In the late match, Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez upset fourth-seeded Andy Murray of Scotland 6-4, 6-2.
 
Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki, the top seeds in the bottom half of the women’s draw, took easy first steps toward a possible meeting in the semifinals.
 
The second-seeded Sharapova, the 2006 tournament champion, beat Gisella Dulko of Argentina, 6-2, 6-0 minutes to kick off the night session on Stadium Court after 2011 champion and No. 4 seed Wozniacki closed the afternoon schedule with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Ekaterina Makarova of Russia. In the third round, Sharapova will play Simona Halep of Romania, and Wozniacki will face Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.
 
Americans John Isner and Andy Roddick won their opening matches, too. Isner, the No. 11 seed, posted a routine 7-5, 6-3 victory over Frederico Gil of Portugal. But Roddick, who is at his lowest ranking (31) since August 2001, needed a long three sets to dispatch Poland’s Lukasz Kubot, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
 
Roddick, who will meet No. 8 seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in the third round, won the second-set tiebreaker with a forehand that appeared long, but went unchallenged. And he took control of the third set after Kubot needed a visit from an ATP Tour trainer for a back problem after holding serve for a 3-2 lead.
 
No. 8 seed Mardy Fish and teenager Ryan Harrison also won to make it a productive day for the American contingent.
 
Berdych got by Sergly Stakhovsky of the Ukraine, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4. Frenchman Gilles Simon moved into the third round after a three-set win over qualifier Dudi Sela of Israel, but No. 16 seed Richard Gasquet of France was beaten by Albert Ramos of Spain, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, after having a match point in the second set. American Robby Ginepri bowed to Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
 
Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, the women’s No. 15 seed, opened the day on Stadium Court with an easy 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Johanna Larsson of Sweden. No. 6 Samantha Stosur of Australia, No. 10 Francesca Schiavone of Italy, and No. 16 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia also advanced. But No. 11 Sabiine Lisicki was upset, 6-1, 6-4, by Lourdes Dominguez-Lino of Spain.

Bernie: Money’s holding up Concorde Agreement

Arguments over money — how much the teams should get, specifically — is the key sticking point on reaching a new Concorde Agreement for Formula 1, sport boss Bernie Ecclestone says. OK. So that’s not surprising. But it’s one money quote from a Q&A that he’s done with the official F1 site. Here’s another: Q:

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FIA’s Charlie Whiting Q&A: Regulations explained

Ahead of the 2012 Formula One season, FIA boss Charlie Whiting has offered a Q&A on the technical and sporting regulations that impact the sport this year. Charlie starts with the Sporting Regulations: Sporting Regulations Q: Why has a four-hour total time limit been put on Grands Prix? CW: Last season the race in Montreal

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F1 dreams, Williams F1 on podium

You know it is close to the beginning of Formula One when you start having dreams about it. Yes, I’m a bit of an anorak and last night I had a dream that Williams F1 showed up in Australia and was a revelation. They were challenging for the podium and then my alarm clock went

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Reports: Spain likely to cut back to one F1 race per season

Spain likely will cut in half the number of Formula 1 races it plays host to each year, with Barcelona and Valencia alternating as the race site. That’s according to a number of reports around today, seemingly anchored by comments from Bernie Ecclestone to a radio station: “It’s simply a way for us to try

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Hamilton admits he was unfocused in 2011; vows 2012 will be different

Hey, if you thought you saw Lewis Hamilton out at a club last year when he ought to have been home resting or training — you might have. Hamilton is fully copping to being unfocused and going out to enjoy himself last season, which let’s just sum up as not his best. This season, it

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McHale stuns Kvitova at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, California (AP)â€"American teenager Christina McHale stunned Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory in the night session of the BNP Paribas Open, which has seen several withdrawals because of illness.

Gael Monfils of France, Jurgen Melzer of Austria and American Vania King each battled an intestinal virus that has sidelined at least a half-dozen players.

Melzer did play his singles match but lost in straight sets before withdrawing from doubles.

Vera Zvonareva also withdrew because of a virus, but reportedly her ailment was not the same one that afflicted the other players.

Kvitova has been trying to overcome a virus she contracted while in the Middle East, and that manifested itself when she felt a loss of energy and movement after a good first set against the 19-year-old McHale

“I lost a little bit of my fitness so it was tough moving and having winners,” she said. “(McHale) was moving very well so she played a lot of shots back. (And) my serve was not really good, too. She played very solid and she didn’t make mistakes so it was tough.”

McHale will face No. 18 Angelique Kerber of Germany in the fourth round.

“I couldn’t get a read on (Kvitova’s) serve in the first set and I wasn’t really moving very well, either,” McHale said. “Then I just kind of hung in there early in the second. She played one service game where she gave me a couple of loose errors and then I got more comfortable as the match went along.”

The top seeds have remained healthy, although 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer admitted to not feeling well after his 6-4, 6-1 victory over American wild card Denis Kudla in the second round.

The No. 3-ranked Swiss appeared pale and listless when he walked into the interview room, and there were reports he had suffered some stomach problems on court.

Federer, a three-time Indian Wells champion, said he did have a fever.

“It’s not a terrible temperature, but there’s something going on,” Federer said, attributing the illness to contact with his family and not a result of the intestinal virus.

Rafael Nadal, playing singles for the first time in six weeks, also advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer.

Nadal had not played since losing to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in a nearly 6-hour marathon final at the Australian Open on Jan. 29. The Spaniard was in control throughout the match with Mayer, who fell to 0-8 in his career against top 10 opponents.

“It’s nice to be back playing at the very good level, in my opinion,” Nadal said after not facing a break point in the 75-minute match. “Winning is the most important thing. It’s not easy to be back after a while without competition but I did, I believe, really well.

“I started the match very focused, very aggressive. Today the only thing I can say, I’m very happy about almost everything.”

Nadal will play countryman Marcel Granollers in the third round and has a potential semifinal date with Federer.

David Ferrer of Spain, who could face Federer in the quarterfinals, was a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France got a quick victory over countryman Michael Llorda, who retired with a knee injury after falling behind 4-1 in the opening set.

In other action, Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro beat Australian qualifier Marino Matosevic 7-5, 6-2, and No. 10 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia was a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Gilles Muller of Luxembourg.

On the women’s side, top-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus got little resistance from Svetlana Kuznetsova, beating the Russian 6-1, 6-2.

Li Na of China beat countrywoman Jie Zheng 6-1, 6-3, Julia Goerges of Germany was a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, and Kerber advanced on a walkover when King withdrew.

Smith and Kallis build South Africa's lead

A century stand between the two most experienced hands in the South African side extended the visitors' lead to 140 and ensured South Africa emerged strongly from the first wicketless session in the match