Milan see of Parma

AC Milan strolled past Parma to extend their lead, temporarily at least, to seven points at the top of Serie A after Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Urby Emmanuelson scored in a 2-0 win

Messi magic sees Barça beat Sevilla

Lionel Messi produced another sublime goal to add to his growing collection as Barcelona claimed a 2-0 win at Sevilla, but coach Pep Guardiola conceded that they aren't going to win the league.

Di Matteo not interested in permanent role

Roberto Di Matteo has insisted he hasn't considered taking his current caretaker manager's role at Chelsea on permanently, saying it has not crossed his mind, and is just focussing on their FA Cup quarter-final.

Roger: I've had doubts in the past vs. Rafa

After beating Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of Indian Wells, 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer admits that he hasn’t always been confident against the Spaniard. Nadal leads their head-to-head meetings, 18-10.

"I have had doubts in the past against Rafa," Federer admitted. "It's just normal, I guess. If you get destroyed like in the finals of Paris [in 2008], next time you play him around, which for me unfortunately was the Wimbledon finals, that epic one we had, of course you'll be affected a little bit, even though now you are on your favorite surface potentially. But it did take maybe potentially take me a set or two to shake that off, and then it cost me the match in the end. So sometimes I've gone into matches with Rafa where I knew it was gonna probably difficult because either maybe he's coming in on an incredible hot streak or I'm coming in from an end where I know I probably shouldn't be winning this match tonight just because I'm not feeling right, my game is not up to par. I've maybe come through some other matches against other players, but against Rafa it's a different story."

Federer, who has been fighting a flu at Indian Wells, said he came into their semifinals with a no-lose mentality, which likely aided him. "I didn't expect myself to play so well tonight, and this is sometimes when you can pull off the biggest wins of your career,"  he said. "That's where I'm happy I gave myself a chance this week."

This was Federer's first victory on an outdoor hard court over Nadal since 2005.

Al Sadd claim dramatic point

Al Sadd performed a miraculous second-half turnaround against Qatar SC, scoring three times without reply to claim a 3-3 draw, with the equaliser coming minutes from time, while Al Wakra and Al Khor drew 1-1.

Federer tops Nadal in straights to reach IW final

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP)â€"Roger Federer overcame Rafael Nadal and the rain for a 6-3, 6-4 semifinal victory in the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday night, acing Nadal on a match point that was delayed a couple minutes by rain drops.
 
Federer handled the cold, windy conditions better than Nadal, whose grumpy expression matched his out-of-sorts body language. The match got started nearly three hours late because of rain. Wind whipped the court and there was a 20-degree drop in temperature from Friday, when it was in the 80s.
 
Nadal netted a forehand to give Federer match point when rain drops slickened the lines on the court and the chair umpire halted the action. The players sat in their chairs trying to stay warm. Minutes later, Federer got up and smacked an ace wide to Nadal’s forehand side, giving him his first win over Nadal since last year’s ATP World Tour finals. The Swiss star still trails their series 18-10.

Federer will play 11th-ranked John Isner in Sunday’s final, a rematch of their Davis Cup showdown last month in which Isner won on clay in Switzerland. Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka and No. 2 Maria Sharapova will meet for the women’s title.
 
Isner fired 20 aces, including one at 135-mph on his fourth match point, to beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (5) in the other semifinal.
 
Isner will try to become the first American winner in the desert since Andre Agassi in 2001.
 
Isner’s victory guaranteed he will break into the top 10 for the first time in next week’s ATP Tour rankings at No. 10. A victory in the final would move the American to No. 8, passing countryman Mardy Fish who is currently in that spot.
 
Isner is the first American to beat a world No. 1 since James Blake defeated Federer in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
 
Isner needed nearly three hours to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 series final after 25 tries. He didn’t get past the round of 16 in his first 23 events until making his first semifinal in Paris last fall and now the final in the desert.
 
He threw his arms up and soaked in the applause from the crowd that was squarely behind him throughout the match.
 
“It’s something that you don’t experience every day,” Isner said. “I was just trying to take it all in.”
 
The 6-foot-9 American towered 7 inches over Djokovic, giving Isner an easy advantage with his serve-and-volley game. He played a few loose points in the 12th game of the final set, sending a forehand past the baseline on his first match point, and Djokovic held to force the second tiebreaker.
 
Isner aced Djokovic with a 143-mph serve to lead 3-2, then hit a forehand winner down the line to go up 4-2.
 
“I told myself I was going to run around the backhand and hit a forehand, and I was just hoping that he wasn’t going to hit the serve up the T. He had been doing that quite a bit, especially on the ad side,” Isner said. “I wanted to put a good hit on the ball because if you don’t, he just gets you moving. That’s why he’s the best in the world.”
 
Isner’s 144-mph serve forced Djokovic into a netted return that set up Isner’s second match point.
 
Even Djokovic caught himself looking at the scoreboard to see how fast Isner’s serves were.
 
“Sometimes just to admire, because I will never get there,” he said, laughing.
 
Isner connected on 74 percent of his first serves, although Djokovic actually won 11 more points than he did in the match. The Serb had little success lobbing to keep Isner off the net as the big guy put away smashes with confidence.
 
“It’s a lot of pressure knowing that somebody serves that well. You need to win your service points, especially when you get to the tiebreak,” Djokovic said. “But this time I was unlucky. He didn’t wait for it, he went for it.”
 
Djokovic served up a rare ace of his own and Isner committed an unforced error before closing it out with his 20th ace.
 
Isner’s height and power had him tabbed as a future American star since he turned pro in 2007, but success has come in fits and starts. He reached his currentâ€"and bestâ€"career ranking of 11th just last month.
 
“I knew going into this year that I had the tools and I had the game to be able to at least compete with these guys. I take the court no matter who I’m playing expecting to win and believing to win,” Isner said.
 
There was a win over Andy Roddick at the 2009 U.S. Open, but casual fans may know Isner best for a marathon win over Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010. They played the longest ever pro match, stretching 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days.
 
“I’ve just kept on surprising myself after each year. When I reached the top 50 in the world, that’s actually when I actually did believe I could crack the top 10,” he said. “I’ve always been a late bloomer.”
 
Djokovic, the defending champion, fell to 14-2 this season, having lost to Andy Murray in Dubai earlier this month.

Viola suffer five-goal Juve drubbing

Juventus tore into a ten-man Fiorentina side who suffered their heaviest ever home defeat to the team from Turin, losing 5-0 thanks to goals from Mirko Vucinic, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo and Simone Padoin.

Federer Beats Nadal To Reach Final

Roger Federer reached the final for the fourth time at the BNP Paribas Open after defeating rival Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 Saturday in their first encounter in Indian Wells.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

Federer Wins Opening Set Against Nadal

Roger Federer is one set away from reaching his fourth BNP Paribas Open final after taking the opening set against Rafael Nadal 6-3 in a rain-delayed semi-final match Saturday in Indian Wells.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

PSG pull further clear, OM beaten

Christophe Jallet scored late on to claim a draw for Paris St Germain at Caen, seeing them stretch their lead over Montpellier to two points, while Marseille's poor domestic form continued with a 2-1 loss against Dijon.

Isner: I believe I can win a Grand Slam title

After his 7-6 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (5) upset of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, John Isner says that he has the ability to win a major. Isner also upset world No. 3 Roger Federer last month in Davis Cup.

"I believe I can," said Isner, who will crack the Top 10 when the rankings are released next week. "You know, Slams are tough. It's the most physical, in my opinion. You're playing three out of five. If I were to run up against Djokovic again in a Slam; even if, you know, we were playing three out of five today, I would have to finish him off with one more set. So I know it's so tough, but I enjoy the challenge. There are three more this year, and I'm gonna try to do the best I can."

Djokovic downed in Indian Wells semis by Isner

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP)â€"John Isner fired 20 aces, including one at 135-mph on his fourth match point, to beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (5) Saturday in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals.
 
Isner will take on either No. 2 Rafael Nadal or No. 3 Roger Federer in Sunday’s final, with Isner trying to become the first American winner in the desert since Andre Agassi in 2001.
 
Nadal and Federer were to play for the 28th time but the first at Indian Wells in the other semifinal, although rain began falling shortly after Isner left the court on a cool, cloudy day.

Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova will meet for the women’s title Sunday.
 
Isner’s victory guaranteed he will break into the top 10 for the first time in next week’s ATP Tour rankings at No. 10. A victory in the final would move the American to No. 8, passing countryman Mardy Fish who is currently in that spot.
 
Isner is the first American to beat a world No. 1 since James Blake defeated Federer in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
 
Isner needed nearly three hours to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 series final after 25 tries. He didn’t get past the round of 16 in his first 23 events until making his first semifinal in Paris last fall and now the final in the desert.
 
He threw his arms up and soaked in the applause from the crowd that was squarely behind him throughout the match.
 
“It’s something that you don’t experience every day,” Isner said. “I was just trying to take it all in.”
 
The 6-foot-9 American towered 7 inches over Djokovic, giving Isner an easy advantage with his serve-and-volley game. He played a few loose points in the 12th game of the final set, sending a forehand past the baseline on his first match point, and Djokovic held to force the second tiebreaker.
 
Isner aced Djokovic with a 143-mph serve to lead 3-2, then hit a forehand winner down the line to go up 4-2.
 
“I told myself I was going to run around the backhand and hit a forehand, and I was just hoping that he wasn’t going to hit the serve up the T. He had been doing that quite a bit, especially on the ad side,” Isner said. “I wanted to put a good hit on the ball because if you don’t, he just gets you moving. That’s why he’s the best in the world.”
 
Isner’s 144-mph serve forced Djokovic into a netted return that set up Isner’s second match point.
 
Even Djokovic caught himself looking at the scoreboard to see how fast Isner’s serves were.
 
“Sometimes just to admire, because I will never get there,” he said, laughing.
 
Isner connected on 74 percent of his first serves, although Djokovic actually won 11 more points than he did in the match. The Serb had little success lobbing to keep Isner off the net as the big guy put away smashes with confidence.
 
“It’s a lot of pressure knowing that somebody serves that well. You need to win your service points, especially when you get to the tiebreak,” Djokovic said. “But this time I was unlucky. He didn’t wait for it, he went for it.”
 
Djokovic served up a rare ace of his own and Isner committed an unforced error before closing it out with his 20th ace.
 
Isner’s height and power had him tabbed as a future American star since he turned pro in 2007, but success has come in fits and starts. He reached his currentâ€"and bestâ€"career ranking of 11th just last month, when he notched his previous biggest win over Federer in a Davis Cup match on the Swiss star’s home turf.
 
“I knew going into this year that I had the tools and I had the game to be able to at least compete with these guys. I take the court no matter who I’m playing expecting to win and believing to win,” Isner said.
 
“There’s really no reason to take the court if I believe otherwise. So the win against Roger was very big for my confidence, and obviously this one will be very big for my confidence.”
 
There was a win over Andy Roddick at the 2009 U.S. Open, but casual fans may know Isner best for a marathon win over Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010. They played the longest ever pro match, stretching 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days.
 
“I’ve just kept on surprising myself after each year. When I reached the top 50 in the world, that’s actually when I actually did believe I could crack the top 10,” he said. “I’ve always been a late bloomer.”
 
Djokovic, the defending champion, fell to 14-2 this season, having lost to Andy Murray in Dubai earlier this month.

De Graafschap go bottom, Excelsior win

De Graafschap's hopes of avoiding at least the Eredivisie relegation play-offs took a further blow today after a 1-0 defeat RKC Waalwijk left them bottom of the table, while Excelsior leap-frogged them with a win over Roda JC.

Are Red Bull, Ferrari new partners in new F1 deal?

SPEED’s Adam Cooper was discussing the issue of the Concorde Agreement and that big news may be coming in the form of a deal signed between F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone (on behalf of commercial rights owners CVC) and the two teams who left the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA); Red Bull and Ferrari. Cooper suggests

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PSG deny Caen memorable win

Paris St Germain, for the second time in two games, relied on a late goal to get a result, following up last week's late win against Dijon to claim a late point at Caen with Christophe Jallet levelling the scores at 2-2.

Dortmund keep clear, Bayern dominant

Borussia Dortmund kept their five point lead intact at the top of the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen, while Bayern Munich continue to look ominous after they won 6-0 at Hertha Berlin, scoring their 20th goal in three games.

Isner tops Djokovic to reach Indian Wells final

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP)â€"American John Isner fired 20 aces, including a 135-mph one on his fourth match point, to beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (5) Saturday in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals.
 
Isner will play either No. 2 Rafael Nadal or No. 3 Roger Federer in Sunday’s final. They were to meet in the other semifinal, although approaching rain threatened to disrupt play on a cool, cloudy day at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Isner’s victory guaranteed he will break into the top 10 for the first time in next week’s ATP Tour rankings at No. 10. A victory in the final would move him to No. 8, passing countryman Mardy Fish who is currently in that spot.
 
Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova will meet for the women’s title Sunday.

Isner Edges Djokovic In Semi-final Battle

American John Isner continued to prove his status as a serious contender on the men’s tour, prevailing against defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(5) on Saturday to reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

Federer enjoying player-umpire disputes

Roger Federer says he enjoyed watching Juan Martin del Potro argue with chair umpire Mohammed Lahyani in his quarterfinal victory over the Argentine. Federer, who is no fan of HawkEye, believes the line calling system takes personality out of the game.

"Back then with the bad calls sometimes you get these arguments," Federer said. "It was just different to see. There was a different momentum, something you kind of talk about sometimes. I don't know, it just has more flair to it, when you have these bad calls from time to time. Now it's just straightforward; you move on. There's a good call, bad call, the worst that can happen is you run out of challenges and the umpire then misses everything and the linespeople too. But the chances of that happening are virtually impossible. I liked it the way it was, and I'm fine with what it is today."

Sharapova looks for revenge vs. Azarenka

The unidentified injury Maria Sharapova sustained in her victory over Ana Ivanovic at the BNP Paribas Open is not that troublesome, and she should be fine for Sunday's final against Victoria Azarenka, a source told TENNIS.com.

Sharapova was said to complain of an injury to her coach, Tomas Hogstedt, during her 6-4, 0-1 (ret.) win. Ivanovic retired with an injury to her hip and will have an MRI on Saturday.

Sharapova enters the final with a 3-4 record against Azarenka, having lost three of their last four matches, with her only recent victory coming last year in Rome, when Azarenka retired with an injury in the second set. Azarenka belted Sharapova in the Australian Open final six weeks ago, 6-3, 6-0.

"She's definitely the one to beat right now, someone that's playing with a lot of confidence and all the momentum in the world," Sharapova said. "I'd love to get my revenge from Australia and play much better, as well. In our previous meetings we have had really tough matches, and I hope that the quality of tennis will be good and hopefully change a few things around."â€"MC

Bayern steamroller continues at Hertha

Arjen Robben was Bayern Munich's third hat-trick hero in as many games after the Dutchman wrapped up a resounding 6-0 victory at Hertha Berlin, scoring the German giants' 20th goal in a week.

F1B Sector 3- March 16, 2012

Here’s what you NEED to know about Formula One this week!

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Next generation more capable than me - Dravid

Rahul Dravid, who announced his retirement on Friday, has said the next few years will be challenging times for Indian cricket but that the next generation of batsmen is capable of achieving more

Driver quotes: post-qualifying comments from Australia

AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX MELBOURNE  SATURDAY DRIVER QUOTES  17 MARCH 2012 Red Bull Racing  Mark Webber “We knew there were some quick guys out there – McLaren and Mercedes especially and Roman did well too. Everyone always thinks we have special bits to keep coming back, but this year it’s opened right up. I didn’t have

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Swans thump Fulham, Wigan unlucky

Swansea City put on a fine display at Craven Cottage as Gylfi Sigurdsson hit a brace to hand Fulham a 3-0 defeat, while Wigan Athletic were unlucky to come away with a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion. 

Chat: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal

On Saturday, March 17 at 4 pm EST (or whenever the match begins), TENNIS.com's Ed McGrogan will provide live commentary and analysis of the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal semifinal at Indian Wells.

Coaches relishing Asian match-ups

FIFA.com rounds up the reaction from some of the coaches and officials who were on hand at AFC House to witness the draw for Asia's final qualifying round for Brazil 2014.

Galaxy hunt repeat success

The new Major League Soccer season commences on Saturday with champions Los Angeles Galaxy opening at home against Real Salt Lake, while new Canadian expansion team, Montreal Impact, are at Vancouver.

Kashiwa slump continues, Tokyo make it two

Kashiwa Reysol remain winless in the J.League this season after losing 1-0 at Urawa Red Diamonds, while newly-promoted FC Tokyo are one of four teams to have won both of their games so far.

Live Chat: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal

On Saturday, March 17 at 4 pm EST (or whenever the match begins), TENNIS.com's Ed McGrogan will provide live commentary and analysis of the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal semifinal at Indian Wells.

Mariners, Roar set up last-day climax

The penultimate round of A-League fixtures saw Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar beat Adelaide United and Newcastle Jets respectively, meaning the battle for the Premiers' Plate will be decided on the final day.

Gyan on the spot for Al-Ain

Asamoah Gyan's second-half penalty helped restore Al-Ain's seven-point lead at the top of the UAE Pro-League as they saw off the challenge of Al-Ahly Dubai on a night when Al-Shabab also won.

Vidic: Football is my life

In an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic talks about playing for Sir Alex Ferguson, coming up against Lionel Messi and Barcelona, and his plans for the future.

Santos revive as Flamengo capitulate

Brazilian giants Flamengo surrendered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Olimpia of Paraguay in their Copa Libertadores group match, while champions Santos overturned an early deficit to defeat Peru's Juan Aurich.

Kuyt: Reds need to keep going

Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has discussed the club's progress during the current campaign, while managers Kenny Dalglish and Tony Pulis have had their say ahead of Stoke City's trip to Anfield in the FA Cup tomorrow.

Matthews, Wanyama eye first final

Celtic pair Adam Matthews and Victor Wanyama have both revealed their desire to play in the first cup final of their career when the Hoops meet Kilmarnock in the League Cup showpiece at Hampden Park tomorrow.

Saturday Preview - Big Three & Top 10 Hopeful Square Off In SFs

Media notes for the BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

Perez handed gearbox grid penalty

Sergio Perez will drop five places on the grid for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix after the gearbox was changed on his Sauber following Saturday's qualifying session. Perez was unable to complete a timed lap during Q2 because of gearbox problems and thus qualified in 17th. After investigating the issue the team decided to replace the C31's box. The ensuing penalty means the Mexican will line up in 22nd on the Melbourne grid.

Isner/Querrey Upset Second Seeds In Semis

Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey reached their fifth ATP World Tour doubles final on Friday as they upset second seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 6-4, 6-2 in the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals in Indian Wells.

[[More Tennis News on ATPWorldTour.com]]

Watson content as Test No. 3

Shane Watson will happily return to Australia's Test team as a No. 3 batsman, having reasoned that he is no longer in a position to demand the opening spot he vacated due to injury in 2011

FIA post-qualifying press conference - Australia

Drivers: 1 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), 2 - Jenson Button (McLaren), 3 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus) Q: Lewis, a fantastic lap, clearly, and what a great way to start a new season. Lewis Hamilton: Yes, it's an incredible feeling to be back here and to get off to such a good start. I think this is mine and Jenson's first one-two - I believe at least – in qualifying, so it's fantastic to start the season this way. I'm massively proud of the team, working incredibly hard as every year they do, but just to see that it's never-give-up and this is the result of that.

Japan and UAE reach London

Goals from Takahiro Ogihara and Hiroshi Kiyotak earned Japan a 2-0 win over Bahrain and a place at London 2012, while UAE clinched their place in dramatic circumstances, coming from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-2.

Japanese reach London, Australian gloom

Goals from Takahiro Ogihara and Hiroshi Kiyotak earned Japan a 2-0 win over Bahrain and a place at London 2012, while a 0-0 draw with Iraq ensured Australia finished their six-game group campaign without scoring.

Qualifying - selected team and driver quotes

Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen on his surprise early exit from Q1 in Melbourne; Fernando Alonso on falling foul of the lack of grip at Albert Park and beaching his Ferrari in the gravel; Pastor Maldonado on outgunning new Williams team mate Bruno Senna to make it through to the top-ten shootout; and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button on securing the front row of the grid. All 24 drivers, plus senior team personnel, discuss Saturday's actionÂ…

Qualifying - Hamilton heads McLaren one-two

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button got their 2012 world championship campaign off to the best possible start as they took the top two positions on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on Saturday evening. And just to make things even better for the Woking team, Romain Grosjean put his Lotus third ahead of Michael Schumacher's Mercedes and the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

Australia Quali Recap: Hamilton, Button, Grosjean & Schumacher shut out Red Bull

The 2012 season kicked off to a cracking start, with Lewis Hamilton (1:24.922) winning pole for the Australian Grand Prix with a fast lap halfway through Q3. Jenson Button managed to come just over a tenth slower than his teammate to make a McLaren front row while Romain Grosjean became something of the story of

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Ivanovic retires against Sharapova in semis

It's not often we react to a retirement, but I'm making an exception for tonight's second women's semifinal. Because for nearly a set, we saw the WTA's answer to the awe-inspiring, high-profile, you've-got-to-see-this-even-if-you-don't-watch-tennis play put forth by the majordomos of the ATP for well over a year. And it didn't even involve the tour's top-ranked, unbeaten star, Victoria Azarenka, who earlier in the evening beat Angelique Kerber to win her 22nd match of 2012 and reach the Indian Wells final.

What Azarenka saw, if she was done with her media commitments and watching this match, was some of the most fearless hitting of this entire tournament. Ivanovic brought out the same artillery she used against Caroline Wozniacki, only this time, her opponent actually replied in kind. Sharapova swung like she looks: Serious. And not just with her forehand, making for rallies that left the winner in doubt until a winnerâ€"often an authoritative oneâ€"was struck. There were breaks of serve, as you might expect from these two, but the sky-high quality of play made up for it. Their first match since the 2008 Australian Open final was unquestionably worth the wait.

But it was a mirage, fitting for a venue located in the city of Palm Desert. Trailing 5-4, Ivanovic took a break nearly eight minutes in length for, at the time, unknown reasons. But anyone who thought this could turn into another three-hour match for Sharapova was sorely mistaken just two games later, after the Russian served out the opening set. A hip injury had affected Ivanovic, so much so that her coach, Nigel Sears, all but told her to let this one go. The Serb soldiered out for one more game, which she won, but the pain was too much to bear; a short session with the trainer confirmed the inevitable. Ivanovic told Sharapova it was over, and it's still more than four years since the two have played a completed match.

Where this leaves us is with a rematch of another Australian Open final, the 2012 edition, featuring No. 2 Sharapova and No. 1 Azarenka. Incredibly, this is the first time since 2008 that the WTA's top two players will meet in a tournament final. With any luck, it will be better than their duel Down Under, a 6-3, 6-0 Azarenka drubbing. Both players had relatively simple semifinals, and will have a full day of rest tomorrow. We know what Azarenka can bring to the court, and Sharapova showed the kind of tennis necessary to derail the white-hot Belarusian tonight.

â€"Ed McGrogan

Federer destroys del Potro in quarterfinals

INDIAN WELLS, CALIF.â€"We know that matches can turn on one point or one shot, but Roger Federer’s 6-3, 6-2 quarterfinal win over Juan Martin del Potro here was, for all intents and purposes, over after one call in the first game. At deuceâ€"one of many deuces in that gameâ€"a Federer serve that appeared to be wide was called in. Del Potro challenged, and even Federer remained in his serving position, as if he knew that it had been wide (he said afterward that he did see it out).

One problem: Hawk-Eye, due to a failed Internet connection, was temporarily out of service. In that case, the call automatically stands. Still, Del Potro objected to chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani. And objected. And objected some more. He lost the game and kept objecting. Two games later, Del Potro could even be seen objecting to another chair umpire, Lars Graff, who was sitting in the opposite corner.

Del Potro was, not surprisingly, broken in his next game. What was more surprising was that he never came back mentally, playing and walking listlessly between points. But there was a reason other than a call for that: Del Potro continues to be owned by Federer, who again did a masterful job, as he has all year, of rendering the big Argentine utterly ineffective. The process began in the second game this time, when Federer hit two forehand drop shots, followed them to the net, and anticipated del Potro’s response down the line both times. From there, the first set was never in doubt.

One thing that Federer has clearly learned from losing to del Potro three years ago: If you’re going to go into his forehand, make sure you move him at least into the doubles alley, if not farther wide. Federer pushed him out there repeatedly today. I know he's 6-foot-6, but it’s amazing how much less effective del Potro is from that angle, when he’s stretched.

In the only other game of significance, del Potro’s opening service game of the second set, Federer upped his aggression level, ending one point at the net and breaking with a blitzed cross-court forehand. Two games later, he went back to the forehand drop shot. Again he followed it in, again he anticipated del Potro’s down the line response; but this time Federer went behind him with his volley. Again it worked like a charm. He had the man on a string.

As far as stats go, Federer hit 13 aces to del Potro’s zero, and 28 winners to del Potro’s seven. No early call, no matter bad or unfair, can excuse del Potro a performance that limp.

Federer says that he didn’t have the “Indian Wells virus,” and that he feels better. But I wonder if being under the weather might have helped in some way, at least mentally. After one of his close wins here, he said that he wasn’t worried about tactics, just about surviving and getting through. While that obviously isn’t a positive physically, it does help lessen your anxiety and give you a little less to lose.

Maybe Federer can use it in his next match. He might need it; there’s a good chance it will be against Rafael Nadal.

â€"Steve Tignor