Alexander Zverev grabbed only his second career ATP Masters 1000 victory after coming back from a set down to overcome Ivan Dodig 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. The German lost in the first round of qualifying to Michael Russell a year ago when he was ranked outside the top 100. Now he’s knocking on the top 50 and clinched another impressive victory when the tide was going completely against him.
The turning point for the 18 year old came after a blockbuster shot as Dodig was serving at 5-6 in the second set. The Croatian hit a heavy top spin cross court forehand and backed it up by charging into the net, where he feels at home, but Zverev somehow not only managed to get his racket onto the ball but find the line on a down the line running forehand. The celebrations sparked the Hamburg-born player into life and he went to seal another important victory in his career. The NextGen players are stepping up to the mark this week in Indian Wells and few have the all-round potential of Alexander Zverev who visibly still has to evolve into a manlier body. These are exciting times for tennis and, particularly for Zverev, who will now face another player who was signaled out for greatness but has fallen into slight obscurity: Grigor Dimitrov.
Another youngster looking to make inroads at the BNP Paribas Open was Jared Donaldson. The young American was hoping to make the most of a wild card to try and boost his ranking but his dream was cut short by Vasek Pospisil7-6, 6-7, 6-3 in a match that will not go into the history books as the blustery conditions drastically affected the standard of the tennis. In the end, the Canadian’s experience got him over the finish line and Pospisil will take any win right now. He’ll now face Gilles Simon, who beat him in straight sets last weekend in the Davis Cup.
But it wasn’t only a day for the young blood to celebrate, a veteran also showed the rising stars that age is just a number. The man in question is Mikhail Youzhny, who has surged into the top 100 after winning three Challenger titles on the bounce. The Russian got the better of Aljaz Bedene by 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, thereby recording his first win at Indian Wells since 2008. In fact, the BNP Paribas Open is not a happy hunting ground for the Russian, who has made nine appearances and only got past the first round on two occasions. His prize for winning is a meeting with Roberto Bautista in the second round.
