World No. 1 Rafael Nadal recaptured the BNP Paribas Open title after posting an overwhelming 6-1, 6-2 victory over Andy Murray on a windy Sunday in Indian Wells.
World No. 4 Murray, who advanced to the BNP Paribas Open for the first time after defeating Roger Federer in the semifinals, proved no match for Nadal. The ATP World Tour Champion won the final five games of each set as he converted four of his five break point chances during the one-hour, 20-minute match.
“The conditions today were really difficult, but I think I have good strategy and I played a really good match with those conditions,” said Nadal. “Probably Andy didn't play his best because of the conditions, but I think I played a really complete match, moving very well. I never stop the legs during all the match, and I think that was the key today.”
The 22-year-old Spaniard won his first BNP Paribas Open title in 2007, but fell short of the title defense last year when he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. He escaped a fourth-round upset this past week when he saved five match points in a 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-0 win over Argentine David Nalbandian.
Nadal has now won 13 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles (13-4 in finals), placing him just one behind Federer and four behind all-time leader Andre Agassi. He has won at least two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in each of the past four years, capturing a personal-best four in 2005.
He moves into a tie with Arthur Ashe and Mats Wilander for 16th place on the Open Era titles list after improving to a 33-9 record in ATP World Tour finals. Nadal, who won the 2009 Australian Open title with a five-set win over Federer, is the fifth player to win two titles on the ATP World Tour this season (Murray, Tsonga, Robredo, Stepanek). He also reached the final at the ATP World Tour 500 tennis tournament in Rotterdam last month, injuring his right knee in a three-set loss to Murray.
The final marked Murray’s most lopsided loss since he fell to Marcos Baghdatis by the same score in August 2007 in the first round of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.
Murray, who had defeated Nadal in their past two matches coming into the final, said: “I don't feel like I'm that disappointed just now with how the week went, because I wasn't expecting to do that well. I obviously had some very good wins. I got a lot of the matches that I wasn't necessarily expecting, so going into Miami I'm going to be better prepared than I thought. Obviously today was not my best day, but I'll definitely get over it, because I'm guessing I'm not going to play in those conditions each week.”
The 21-year-old Scot was looking to become the first British player to win the BNP Paribas Open title. Tim Henman finished runner-up at this event in 2002 (l. to Hewitt) and ’04 (l. to Federer), and Rusedski in 1998 (l. to Rios). Murray won his first two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles last year at Cincinnati (d. Djokovic) and Madrid (d. Simon).
Murray falls to a 20-2 season record with his first loss against a Top 10 player this season (4-1). He defeated Federer and Andy Roddick en route to the Doha title in his season opener, and then clinched his 10th ATP World Tour title last month in Rotterdam.
(From Website : http://www.bnpparibasopen.org/1/news/newsarticle_2756.asp)
