INDIAN WELLS: Roger Federer came out playing like his legendary self. Dominic Thiem needed a set to adjust to what he was seeing across the net.

Thiem went on to beat Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 and win the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday, denying Federer a record sixth title in the desert.

“It just feels unreal what happened,” Thiem said. “He’s such a legend.”

Thiem trailed 4-3 and 5-4 in the third set before earning the crucial break in the 11th game of the final

set, connecting on two sharply angled passing winners off of Federer drop shots to give himself a break point which he converted with a stinging forehand winner.

Thiem sealed the match after two hours and two minutes when Federer’s backhand found the net and will now return to a career-high ranking of fourth in the world, bumping Federer down to fifth.

Federer was in the final for the third straight year and lost for the second year in a row. He was beaten in a third-set tiebreaker by Juan Martin del Potro last year. Federer won his 100th career title in Dubai recently.

Thiem had lost in his previous two ATP Masters 1000 finals. But the 25-year-old Austrian’s solid serve held up against Federer as it had throughout the tournament.

Thiem was broken just four times out of 61 service games in the tournament. He didn’t lose serve during his semi-final win over Milos Raonic, facing only one break point in that match.

Federer was gracious in defeat.

“It has been a great week for me even though it didn’t work out today,” he said. “What a great week for Dominic. Wonderful playing at the very end and throughout the week. You deserve it.”

CANADIAN TEEN ANDREESCU STUNS KERBER

Canadian sensation Bianca Andreescu became the first wild card to win the WTA title at Indian Wells with a gritty 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber.

Andreescu, 18, shook off fatigue and rallied from a break down in the third set to topple the eighth-ranked German, who hasn’t won a title since she beat Serena Williams in last year’s Wimbledon final for her third Grand Slam crown.

Ranked 60th coming into the tournament, Andreescu will rise to 24th in the world with her first WTA title.

When she finally converted her fourth match point she kissed the sun-baked court and flopped spread-eagled on her back.

“If you believe in yourself, anything is possible,” Andreescu said as she hoisted the crystal trophy as the youngest player ever to win one of the WTA’s prestigious Premier Mandatory tournaments. “It’s crazy. Crazy is the word of the tournament for me. Just crazy.”

Andreescu used creative and aggressive shot-making to defeat the German despite suffering with a troublesome right shoulder and leg cramps.

She had held for 2-1 in the third when she received treatment on her right arm and shoulder and looked to be flagging when she was broken in the fifth game. Urged by her coach at the change over to push through, Andreescu dug deep to claim the title and become the youngest woman to win at Indian Wells since 17-year-old Serena Williams in 1999.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2019