Ljubicic, Jankovic Win Indian Wells Title
INDIAN WELLS: Ivan Ljubicic beat Andy Roddick 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) to win the BNP Paribas Open, finally claiming his first ATP Masters 1000 title after three losses in finals.
The 31-year-old Croatian will rise to around 13th in Monday’s ATP Tour rankings, returning to the top 20 for the first time in more than two years and recovering from a form slump last year when he lost in the first round in five consecutive tournaments.
Ljubicic set up his fourth match point with the last of his 20 aces, then clinched it with a service winner to become the second-oldest champion at Indian Wells behind Jimmy Connors, who was five months older as the 1984 champion.
“It was really a mind game,” Ljubicic said. “When you have two big serves, not a lot of rallies happening, it’s a very mental match. I was fortunate enough to be more relaxed by the end.”
Roddick was trying to become the first American man to win at Indian Wells since 2001, but he trailed in both tiebreakers. He had beaten Ljubicic seven times in 10 meetings, winning their last match at Indian Wells in two tiebreakers in 2007.
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