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SPORTSSaturday 19 March 2016
Djokovic, Nadal set for semifinal showdown at Indian Wells
BETH HARRIS a slew of errors by Tsonga “He didn’t give one point
AP Sports Writer in the first tiebreak. The in those tiebreaks, which
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) Serb led 3-1 when Tsonga was not my case,” Tsonga
— Novak Djokovic domi- reeled off three straight er- said.
nated both tiebreakers to rors, including two off his
beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 forehand that extended Nadal trailed 3-1 before
(2), 7-6 (2) at the BNP Pa- Djokovic’s lead to 6-1. he won five of the next six
ribas Open on Friday, set- Tsonga was serving to stay games to take the opening
ting up a semifinal against in the tiebreak down 6-2, set in 45 minutes. He got an
Rafael Nadal featuring two but he netted a backhand early break in the second
players who own a com- to lose it. to build a 4-2 lead. His fore-
bined seven titles in the Djokovic led 5-4 in the hand error allowed Nishi-
California desert. second set and had two kori to break back and trail
Nadal defeated Kei Nishi- match points on Tsonga’s 4-3. But Nadal quickly re-
kori 6-4, 6-3, connecting on serve in the 10th game. But covered in the next game
89 percent of his first serves the Frenchman pulled out to break the sixth-ranked
in the match played in a big serve to hold at 5-all. Japanese player and won
91-degree (32 C) heat un- Tsonga came up with an- the match on his serve with
der a relentless sun. Nadal other key hold at 6-all with a forehand down the line.
is a three-time winner at In- a forehand winner and an- “He started so quick hitting
dian Wells. other serve that Djokovic all the balls very well, very
couldn’t handle to force aggressive, and serving
Shadows had begun another tiebreak. great,” Nadal said. “Then
creeping onto the main Leading 6-2, Djokovic he started to miss some first
stadium court by the time closed out the match on serves and I was returning
Djokovic outlasted Tsonga, his second serve, which very well the second set
who has lost to the world’s Tsonga returned wide. serve, returning very ag-
top-ranked player in 13 gressive. That was so im-
of their last 14 meetings. Rafael Nadal, of Spain, reacts portant.”
Four-time tourney cham- after defeating Kei Nishikori,
pion Djokovic improved to of Japan, in their quarterfi- A resurgent Nadal has
20-1 this year heading into nal match at the BNP Paribas reached one final — losing
Saturday’s match against Open tennis tournament, Fri- to Djokovic in Doha — and
Nadal, who is 12-4. day, March 18, 2016, in Indian three semis this year.
Djokovic capitalized on Wells, Calif. “I feel myself strong men-
tally. I feel myself with the
Associated Press right energy,” he said. “I
am able to fight for every
ball. I am able to keep
going during the whole
match, believe in myself
again, and that make me
play with more energy, less
nerves. That’s so important
for me. It’s the way I play
during all my career, and
this week is being very,
very positive for me.”
In women’s semifinals later,
Serena Williams is set to
play Agnieszka Radwan-
ska and Victoria Azarenka
faces Karolina Pliskova.q
