*The Belly of the BNP Paribas Beast*
We’ve reached the hump, the mid section, the belly (if you will), of the second week of the “Beast” called the BNP Paribas Open. There are many opinions as to how this major event will end, and we have many great updates leading into the finals. Keep in the loop as the Open heats up!
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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had to shake off some very close line calls and a tricky opponent in Radek Stepanek during Tuesday’s day session at the BNP Paribas Open. The Frenchman was given a berth into the third round when Michael Llodra retired in their opening round match. Tsonga fought through the early portions of the match but a little bit of rust in his game showed as he was unable to capitalize in a first set tiebreaker. Stepanek, to his credit, plays a very interesting game of deception and no-pace shots. Tsonga, who’s one of the hardest hitters in the game, had to be very careful during the entire match not to over hit – A few of his forehand errors in the first set tiebreaker turned out to be the deciding factor in the set. [READ MORE].
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Novak Djokovic takes on Pablo Andujar today to begin the day session on Stadium 1. The world #1 has been looking relatively comfortable through his first two matches. Andujar has proven himself time and time again this tournament, coming through three rounds for an opportunity to face Djokovic. Will the Spaniard have anything left in the tank against Djokovic?
A battle between WTA titans Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska follows the Djokovic/Andujar match. There’s a stark contrast in styles between these two and should lead to very entertaining points. Radwanska is a tactician that relies on stinging her opponents up the line and great ball control. Azarenka likes to hit big and often, turning the match into a run-and-gun physically-demanding match. [READ MORE].
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Indian Wells, CA – “Shhh… Quiet please. Genius at work.” This was an evening of incredible tennis and drama that has somewhat been lacking in the first few rounds of the BNP Paribas Open. Roger Federer overcame Milos Raonic in breath-taking fashion in front of close to 16,000 fans 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4. It truly was master class as both men put on serving displays in an era dominated by ground strokes and returns. Both served 10 aces, and both served 6 doubles faults. But it was their consistency in getting free points on serve and backing up their first serves which was most impressive. [READ MORE].
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Hi Guys. Austin checking in after another day at Indian Wells. Today was quite the day. It started out with an early practice with a friend of mine. Although it’s great to be playing with some of these big time players, it felt good to have a solid training session on my own terms. Nico and I worked on our ground strokes with a couple of timing drills to get a better feel of the ball. After my practice I was called to warm up Gil Simon again for his upcoming match that day. This time fortunately I was very awake which was helpful as I was asked to move him all around the court. [READ MORE].
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