• Indian Wells

Roger Federer cruises into semi-finals but Rafael Nadal is ousted

ESPN staff
March 21, 2015
Roger Federer is chasing a fifth Indian Wells title © Getty Images
Enlarge

Roger Federer eased past Tomas Berdych before Milos Raonic outlasted Rafael Nadal in a three-hour marathon to set up a semi-final showdown at Indian Wells.

Federer improved to 15-1 this year, with his only loss coming against Andreas Seppi in the third round of the Australian Open. Federer avenged that defeat in the same round at Indian Wells.

The 6-4 6-0 victory was his first straight-sets win over Berdych since 2011 and just his second 6-0 set ever in 19 career matches against the Czech.

"I'm not the kind of guy who takes great joy out of bageling opponents, to be honest," said Federer, seeking a record fifth title in the desert.

He needed just 68 minutes to advance to the semis against the sixth-seeded Raonic.

"It was one of his very tough performances," Berdych said. "He was doing pretty much everything perfect."

Rafael Nadal conceded three match points to Milos Raonic © Getty Images
Enlarge

Federer had 21 winners, equaling the number of unforced errors by Berdych. Federer won 13 of 14 points at the net, never faced a break point on his serve and broke Berdych four times in the match, including three times in the second set.

"I was really able to utilize the court much more, play more angles, play with variation, spin and slice. I did that very well," Federer said. "Because I was serving well and moving well, so maybe there is not going to be that many chances for him on the return."

Federer served two love games in the first set, when he lost just five points on his serve.

"When you feel that he's in control right from the beginning, then of course you have to come up with your best game from the beginning of the match," Berdych said. "There is a very thin line in between that and overdoing it. Today I stepped a little bit over it."

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic takes on fourth-seeded Andy Murray in the other men's semifinal Saturday.

Raonic beat three-time Indian Wells champion Nadal for the first time in six career meetings, firing 18 aces and hitting 48 winners to 25 winners for Nadal, who had 22 unforced errors in an epic that finished 4-6 7-6(10) 7-5 in the Canadian's favour.

"It's really great what I was able to do today and I'm very happy with it, but I don't let myself get caught up because this isn't where it ends," Raonic said. "There is a lot more that I want to achieve this week."

They dueled in the second-set tiebreaker, when Nadal held three match points. He committed errors on two of them, and Raonic smashed a winner on the other.

"At the moments when I was playing those match points, it didn't really feel like match points," Raonic said. "It was just like another point that I was trying to get through."

Raonic had plenty of chances in the tiebreaker, too, finally converting on his fifth set point when Nadal netted a shot. Neither gave an inch in the third, staying on serve until the 11th game.

That's when Raonic earned the only break of the set, hitting a shot on the baseline that Nadal chased down but sent a backhand long. Raonic dropped just one point on his serve in the final game, winning on another backhand error by Nadal, who lost to a Canadian player for the first time in nine career matches.

Despite losing, Nadal said he gained some much-needed confidence that his attitude has improved from where it was eight months ago.

"It's true that I didn't compete at that level of intensity mentally in tennis for a long time," he said. "I was able to be there very focused, playing with positive energy for three hours, so that's great news for me, because that's the way I competed during all of my career.

"I am leaving Indian Wells with the feeling that I had big chance to do more and with the feeling that I was ready to compete again well. I think match like this obviously is much better if you win, but even losing, I'm 90 percent sure that will help me."

Nadal's defeat prevented Djokovic, Federer, the Spaniard and Murray -- the world's top four ranked players -- from reaching the semifinals at the same tournament since the 2012 Australian Open.

"He is the most uncomfortable because he is the most different out of the pack," Raonic said of Nadal. "But obviously all three, four guys just make life difficult for everybody just in their own way."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
ESPN staff Close