BNP Paribas Open aka Indian Wells

[jimlosaltos]

I almost missed that Fritz (former champ here) vs Rune is tonight.
Fritz won their only previous at Miami last year.
Good test for Rune reunion with Patrick aka the Rasputin of tennis

[stotty]

Zverev v Demon starting. Irresistible force vs immovable object (that actually moves quite fast).
Could be good.

Minaur wins the first set with only 47% of first serves in; Zverev 73%. Minaur just goes to work and makes fewer errors while all the while exploiting Zverev's forehand and breaking it right down to seize the 1st set. Never have liked Zverev's forehand that much...find it a liability.

[jimlosaltos]

Minaur wins the first set with only 47% of first serves in; Zverev 73%. Minaur just goes to work and makes fewer errors while all the while exploiting Zverev's forehand and breaking it right down to seize the 1st set. Never have liked Zverev's forehand that much...find it a liability.

Yet Zverev blasts right back 6-2, going to a third set.
Demon now down to 41% first serves in. He's been broken 4 times in 2 sets comprising 10 service games.

Since Demon was 47% in the first set and is 41% now for the match (BNP doesn't give set breakdowns) Demon must have served in the mid 30% range in the second set.
I can't remember a tournament where I've sen serving percentage by so many players below 50%.
Is that my imagination or is this extreme?

[jimlosaltos]

P.S. BNP web site featured Shelton vs Sinner on Tuesday, BUT I don't see it anywhere on the order of play now.
Original OoP had it "not before 6 PM".
Ah, looks as if Fritz-Rune has been swapped in?

Also, Świątek vs Putinzekva was to be not before 8 PM Now also MIA.
Curious.

[stroke]

https://nypost.com/2024/03/13/sports/novak-djokovic-ripped-for-appalling-act-after-indian-wells-meltdown/

I like Novak, but this mid match outburst by him was just not a good luck, and him doubling down on it at the post match handshake with his young opponent was an even worse look.

[stotty]

https://nypost.com/2024/03/13/sports...ells-meltdown/

I like Novak, but this mid match outburst by him was just not a good luck, and him doubling down on it at the post match handshake with his young opponent was an even worse look.

Yes he's done a handful of things like that in his career. Roger has always been the best ambassador...impeccable. The strange thing with this one is Novak was still stewing on it after the handshake. Normally he's a gracious loser when the match is over and done with and I have never been able to fault him in this regard. For some reason this time he couldn't quite let it go.

[stroke]

https://www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2024/03/13/the-downward-slide-of-stefanos-tsitsipass-backhand-return/

Good article of Stef's issues lately.

[jimlosaltos]

Oh, what we tennis fanz will put up with for our sport.

This afternoon's highlight match between defending champ Carlos Alcaraz and Sasha Zverv was interrupted by a swarm of bees. No, I'm not making this up. At 1-1 Zverev pointed up in the air, a strange digression. We were wondering what was going on. Then Carlos started twirling around, swatting in the air like he was possessed. Suddenly, the whole stadium was - buzzing, humming - a swarm of bees had taken over center court.

Short version: The match was suspended for 1:48 hours while an expert beekeeper was brought in to herd the miscreant insects. Using a giant -- but gentle -- vacuum cleaner he swept up bees, keeping the members of their endangered species alive but out of our hair. Literally, bees landed in my hair.

Here's a photo of some of the swarm attempting to hijack Spider Cam perhaps to fly away. Nearly two hours later play resumed, absent us since we absconded to a bar, like bees fleeing impending frost, one with a TV and no bees.

Back to tennis. Zverev's serve had a lot of sting. But Alcaraz swarmed over the court like a mad hornet. On a critical break Zverev hovered above a ball floating like pollen waiting to be plucked, only to crash land. Straight sets to the Spaniard.

Note: Remember the game played in a sandstorm that we told you about? That was also Alcaraz, then vs Rafa. Hmmm ... I'm on the trail of this mysterious confluence like a bee seeking his queen. Meanwhile, three photos.

Caption: Bees commander Spider Cam in a futile attempt to escape humanity.

filedata/fetch?id=103685&d=1710470657&type=thumb

[stroke]

Quite the blockbuster set up red hot Sinner vs Alcaraz.

[stroke]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/B6BevLAxda11KFaK7

[stotty]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/B6BevLAxda11KFaK7

I suppose if one has a pair of legs like Rune the urge to show them off is hard to resist. Meddy is probably a bit jealous by the look of it...

[stotty]

So annoying. I have been looking forward all day to Sinner v Alcaraz and now the bloody match has been rained off. I can understand this kind of thing at SW19 but surely not at Indian Wells. I thought the place was in a desert?

[stroke]

So far in this 1st set, the ball striking/quality of play is at the highest level, AO/Miami 2017 like Fed Nadal.

[stroke]

Such a shame for Paul. He definitely looked liked the better tennis player vs Med until he tweaked his ankle in the 2nd set tiebreaker.

[stroke]

Alcaraz the favorite, an implied probability of winning vs Med at 71%.