Djokovic sinks Fish to seal Indian Wells title

BEIJING, March 24 -- World number three Novak Djokovic held off a fightback by American Mardy Fish to win the Pacific Life Open final 6-2 5-7 6-3 on Sunday and secure his second prestigious ATP title of the year.

Two months after claiming his first grand slam crown at the Australian Open, the third-seeded Serb broke world number 98 Fish once in the final set before sealing victory in just over two hours.

"There is something in this desert air which keeps me going year after year," Djokovic, runner-up at Indian Wells 12 months ago, said in a courtside interview. "I am doing pretty good here.

"I also want to congratulate Mardy on a fantastic week. Obviously, his ranking is not good enough. He's a much better player than that and deserves to be ranked much higher."

Fish, ranked a career-high 17th four years ago, capped a remarkable week that featured three victories over top-10 players by stunning Swiss world number one Roger Federer in Saturday's semi-finals.

"This has been a tremendous week for me, definitely one I will never forget," said Fish, who won the last of his two ATP titles in Houston in 2006. "Yesterday was one of the best days of my life and this is my favourite tournament."

Djokovic made a fast start in the final, winning the first six points of the match and breaking Fish in the second game when the American crowd favourite hit a forehand long.

Although Fish broke back in the fifth, forcing a backhand error by his opponent with a searing forehand service return, he failed to hold serve in the sixth.

(Source: China Daily)

BEIJING, March 24 -- World No. 1 Roger Federer was stunned by unseeded American Mardy Fish after Rafael Nadal's Pacific Life Open title defense came to an abrupt halt in Saturday's semifinals.

Federer lost to an American player for the first time in 42 matches when he was crushed 3-6, 2-6 by Fish in a match lasting just over an hour at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.

Fish, who had never beaten Federer in five previous meetings, outplayed the Swiss on a sun-drenched afternoon to book a place in the final against third-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic.