Del Potro deals Federer first defeat of year
INDIAN WELLS: Former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro stunned topranked Roger Federer 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/2) on Sunday to win his first Indian Wells title and second consecutive ATP crown.
The 29-year-old from Argentina handed Federer his first match defeat of 2018 and extended his own win streak to 11 matches, including a title run earlier this month at Acapulco.
“I’m still shaking,” Del Potro said. “It’s difficult to describe with words. It’s like a dream.”
Del Potro, nagged by wrist injuries throughout his career, survived three match points before claiming the championship in a third-set tie-breaker, ending a two hour, 42 minute marathon contest.
“I cannot believe I won this tournament, beating Roger in a great final and this level of tennis. We played great tennis today,” Del Potro said.
“I just want to keep winning titles like this if I can.”
Meanwhile unseeded Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese player to win the Indian Wells final, routing Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-2 for her first WTA Tour title.
World No.44 Osaka rolled over Kasatkina, breaking her serve four times and winning the battle of the 20-year-old rising stars in just 70 minutes.
“I just knew that she was going to fight for every point, too,” said Osaka. “So I couldn’t afford to lose points based on nerves, and I had to keep making the right decisions.”
Del Potro won the first five points of the deciding tie-break then closed it out when Swiss superstar Federer, who had won a career-best 17 straight matches to start the year, smacked a forehand long.
It was Del Potro’s seventh victory over Federer in 25 career meetings, one of those wins coming in the 2009 US Open final.
World No.8 Del Potro is back in the rankings top 10 after dropping to 1,045th before beginning his comeback from three left wrist surgeries in 2016.
Federer, the oldest world No.1 in ATP history at 36, said it is going to take a little longer than normal to get over this one.
“It should sting,” Federer said. “The question is how long? It is disappointing talking about a great match like this and losing.
“You move on. There’s no time to dwell over it. I see the positives at the end of the day.”
Osaka captured the title on her first match point by blasting a backhand into the open side of the court.
“I don’t really know what’s going on right now,” she said, smiling. “I really feel like I have another match I have to play tomorrow, and it didn’t really sink in that I won.”
She was only the fourth unseeded player to reach the Indian Wells final, with the most recent before her being Kim Clijsters in 2005.