Blake Crumbles as Federer Claims Indian Wells TitlePosted on March 20, 2006 James Blake enjoyed a 4-1 lead with two breaks in the first set Sunday in the final at the Masters Series-Indian Wells, but from then on it was the Roger Federer Show as the world No. 1 slowly exerted his will for an eventual 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 win for his tour-leading third title of the year.
The runner-up effort for Blake lifts him into the Top 10 for the first time at No. 9 on the ATP Rankings. With Blake serving at 3-4 in the second set, Federer won eight consecutive games to become the first man to win three consecutive Indian Wells titles. "It's special," Federer told reporters of winning three in a row. "Obviously I like records once in a while. I'm happy I've made one here. He really got the better of me in the beginning, so I had to react and not panic. I did a good job there." Serving at 5-5 in the first set, Blake went for the throat-clutcher, double faulting twice in a row to hand the Swiss the game, the beginning of the American's slide. "Along with a couple of mistakes by me at the end of that first set, he really picked his level up and played unbelievably," Blake told reporters. "He put pressure on me on all my service games, was cruising on his, forcing me to hit shots I didn't want to hit. That's what he's best at." Federer set another Open Era-record Sunday, winning his last seven Masters Series finals. In the Saturday doubles final, (3) Knowles/Nestor upset (1) Bryan/Bryan 6-4, 6-4 for their second title of the year. |
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