Roger Federer is into the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, after defeating France’s Jeremy Chardy 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday.
The win puts Federer at 15-0 this year, his best start to a season since 2006. Federer started the year by winning the Australian Open, then followed that up with a win at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, Netherlands in February.
Australian Open Rematch on Tap
Federer will face Hyeon Chung in the quarterfinals, setting up a rematch of their Australian Open semifinal encounter. Fans will be hoping for a more satisfying match this time around, as Chung was forced to retire in the second set due to severe blisters on his left foot.
Chung has been one of the up-and-coming players on tour and has put together a very strong year himself, going 15-5 in his first five tournaments. Federer expressed enthusiasm for playing the South Korean again now that Chung was healthy.
“I was honestly quite surprised how quickly he came back,” Federer said. “But he seems fine, and he played a great match today. So I’m excited to play against him.”
The 36-year-old Federer continues to defy his age, as he is currently the No. 1 ranked men’s tennis player in the world. He is heavily favored not only to beat Chung, but also to win the tournament, with William Hill placing him at 4/9 odds to walk away with the BNP Paribas Open title.
Federer’s biggest challenge could come in the finals, where he may have to contend with Juan Martin Del Potro. The Argentinian is listed at 7/2 to win the tournament, and is expected to get past Philipp Kohlschreiber (40/1 to win the event) in the quarterfinals. Other potential winners include Kevin Anderson (11/1), Milos Raonic (14/1), and Chung (16/1).
Windy Conditions Can’t Stop Halep
In women’s play, Simona Halep defeated Petra Martic 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 to reach the semifinals. Halep acknowledged that she was frustrated by the windy conditions, but was able to settle herself to finish off the match.
“I calmed down myself a little more,” Halep said, speaking of her third set performance. “I just was more focused on what I have to do, not thinking that much about the wind and what is going on on court.”
Halep is the world No. 1 player and has started the year with an 18-1 record on tour. She is listed as an 11/8 favorite to win the Indian Wells title this weekend, but will face stiff competition in each of the last two rounds.
That’s starts with a match against Naomi Osaka of Japan in the semifinals. Osaka (4/1) has posted several impressive wins this season, and reached the semifinals following a dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over Karolina Pliskova.
The other side of the draw is still waiting to play their quarterfinal matches. Venus Williams (9/1) is favored to get by Carla Suarez Navarro (20/1), while Angelique Kerber (11/4) will take on Daria Kasatkina (10/1). Kerber lost to Halep in a memorable semifinal at the Australian Open earlier this season, with Halep eventually winning the third set 9-7 to secure victory.
