DEL POTRO UPSETS FEDERER IN THRILLER • TRIUMPHS IN INDIAN WELLS FOR FIRST CAREER MASTERS 1000 TITLE

Written by: Staff on 18th March 2018

DEL POTRO UPSETS FEDERER IN THRILLER • TRIUMPHS IN INDIAN WELLS FOR FIRST CAREER MASTERS 1000 TITLE

epa06613472 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina kisses the trophy as confetti falls during the BNP Paribas Open Finals ceremony after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, USA, 18 March 2018. EPA-EFE/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina kisses the trophy as confetti falls during the BNP Paribas Open Finals ceremony after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, USA, 18 March 2018. EPA-EFE/JOHN G. MABANGLO

By Ricky Dimon

In his 14th year on tour and having never previously won a Masters 1000 tournament, Juan Martin Del Potro’s first such title was never going to come easy. It came just about the hardest way possible on Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open.

Not only did Del Potro have to go up against world No. 1 Roger Federer, but the underdog also had to save three championship points along the way. He did just that, ultimately outlasting Federer 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(2) in a back-and-forth thriller that lasted two hours and 42 minutes.

At first it was Del Potro’s turn to finish off the match in relatively straightforward fashion. The world No. 8, whose haul of 21 career titles included the 2009 U.S. Open but nothing else above the 500-point level, took the first set thanks to one break of serve and got a look at two break points in the opening game of the second that would have given him complete control. A tiebreaker eventually had to decide the middle frame of play, during which Del Potro earned a championship point at 8-7. The 29-year-old struck a solid return and soon got a look at what by his standards was a routine forehand only to dump it in the net. Federer promptly converted the next two points, as well, to force a third in dramatic fashion.

The decisive set was a spirited one, with both players frequently incensed by a boisterous crowd and chair umpire Fergus Murphy’s perceived inability to do anything about it. Federer also drilled Del Potro with short backhand late in the match, which resulted in a glare but no kind of escalation beyond healthy competitiveness.

It appeared to be all over for the Argentine when Federer broke at 4-4 and served for the match. The 20-time Grand Slam champion and 27-time Masters 1000 winner even had match points at 40-15, 40-30, and ad-in but failed to capitalize on any occasion. Thrown a lifeline, Del Potro made the most of his opportunity to get back in it and converted a break point with a massive forehand for which Federer could barely move.

Two routine holds later, another tiebreaker was required.

With momentum in hand, Del Potro raced to a 5-0 lead and never looked back. He converted a third championship point of his own when Federer sent a forehand well past the baseline.

“It’s so big,” Del Potro said of his second biggest title in an illustrious but injury-plagued career. “I cannot believe I won this tournament, beating Roger in a great final and level of tennis. We played great tennis today.”

“I lost my serve a little bit (at the end), and then he was clean and I wasn’t,” Federer assessed. “And then it goes very quickly in the ‘breaker. As close as [a match] can be, sometimes when you’re not feeling it or momentum has shifted it’s just crazy how it can go the other way. But I had already missed my opportunities [before the final tiebreaker]. Standing at the trophy ceremony, I think I would like to play that tiebreak again, because I don’t know what the hell happened.”

What happened was arguably the best match of the season between two players who have been the tour’s best all season long.