Roger Federer and John Isner met for the title at the year's first Masters event.
In the opening round of the 2012 Davis Cup, only one nation dropped all five rubbers: Switzerland. The powerhouse squad of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka was surprisingly swept on its home soil by the U.S. team. One of the biggest surprises of the tie was John Isner, playing on red clay—his least effective surface—posting his first win over Federer.
In his third tournament on U.S. soil, the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, Calif., the American’s strong form continued, with major career milestones accomplished: In the semifinals, Isner topped world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a third-set tiebreak to reach his first Masters final and put him in the top 10 of the next rankings, also for the first time.
Federer, meanwhile, had rebounded from that Davis Cup loss to enter Indian Wells on a two-tournament winning streak. His impressive play continued as he reached the final in the desert, posting dominant wins over Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal in back-to-back matches.
As expected with any match involving Isner, service games would be crucial for both players. Through the first 11 games that held true as neither player managed a break. In the 12th game, though, Federer saw a bit of daylight by earning a set point on Isner’s serve, which was quickly wiped out.
The two went to a tiebreak and Federer earned two more set points on Isner’s serve at 6-5 ad 7-6. At 7-7, Federer mishit a return that Isner left to go long, but it stayed in, giving Federer set point on his serve this time. He took advantage, and clinched the tiebreak 9-7.
In the second set, Federer and Isner stayed on serve through the first six games, making it appear as if another tiebreak was on the way. The Swiss star put an end to that notion, though, by breaking Isner in game seven. Maintaining his lead, he broke Isner again in the 10th game to clinch his fourth Indian Wells title.
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Both players only dropped two sets on the way to the final: Federer had to rally from a set down in the third and fourth rounds, while Isner won 7-5 and 7-6 deciders in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
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This was Isner’s ninth career singles final since turning pro in 2007. That year, Federer reached 12 finals, winning eight of them.
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Indian Wells became the 10th tournament Federer won at least four times in his career.
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