Roger Federer vs Juan Martin del Potro (4-6, 7-6 [10-8], 6-7 [2-7])
As tempers boiled over at the California desert, Juan Martin del Potro made sure to keep his game going to overcome the betting odds and stun World No.1 Roger Federer.
It was a heated Indian Wells final, with both players blaming umpire Fergus Murphy for the crowd behaviour as well as some controversial line calls. However, the temper tantrums only added up to an entertaining tennis that treated sports betting fans to a three-set, two-tiebreaker affair.
Delpo, who was the clear online gambling underdog in the match, saved three match points in the final set to become the first player to beat top-ranked Federer this year.
The Argentine star started the match in perfect fashion by claiming the first set, making just three unforced errors compared to Federer’s 11. Nonetheless, the Fed Express rallied back in the second to force the decider.
Federer struggled early in the second and faced break points in the opening game but, cheered by the crowd, he began hitting winners and served his way out of trouble. Although Delpo took the set to a tiebreak, he lost the final three points on errors.
The final set was tight as expected, with Federer breaking for a 5-4 lead. The 36-year-old was in prime position to serve out the match, but Delpo held on and starved off two match points before getting the lead for another tiebreaker.
It was all Delpo in the tiebreaker as he jumped to a 6-1 lead, thanks to some powerful returns and a couple of Federer double faults.
With the win, the eighth-ranked Delpo became the first Argentine to win the tournament. Making it extra memorable, he snapped Federer’s career-best 17-game winning streak.
Del Potro now has 17 wins and two titles to his name this year, including the Acapulco trophy.
“I’m really enjoying playing tennis again,” he said after the match. “I’m still surprising myself, and I want to keep surprising the tennis tour.”
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