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Published: Monday March 23, 2009 MYT 8:43:00 AM
Updated: Monday March 23, 2009 MYT 8:46:04 AM

Nadal downs Murray to take Indian Wells title

INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) - Rafael Nadal powered his way to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Andy Murray on a windy Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open, winning his second Indian Wells title in three years.

The top-ranked Nadal's low, hard groundstrokes gave him an edge in the gusty conditions over Murray, whose game relies more on pace and a mix of shots.

Rafael Nadal, of Spain, celebrates after his 6-1, 6-2 victory over Andy Murray, of Britian, in the men's final of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

Nadal, a 22-year-old Spaniard, added the championship to the Australian Open title he won earlier this year, and avenged a loss to eventual champion Murray in the Rotterdam final. Vera Zvonareva defeated defending champion Ana Ivanovic 7-6 (5), 6-2 to win the women's title. Zvonareva a day earlier teamed with Victoria Azarenka to take the women's doubles.

Nadal rode his usual powerful forehands to the lopsided win over Murray, hitting 10 winners from that side to Murray's one. Nadal also was efficient at the net, winning eight of 11 points to Murray's 5-of-10.

With the swirling wind making the service toss difficult, neither player served an ace. Zvonareva was the steadier player in the women's title match. With the gusts making even some routine shots extremely tricky, the 24-year-old Russian made far fewer mistakes than her Serbian opponent.

Zvonareva joined Lindsay Davenport as the only women to win the singles and doubles title at Indian Wells in the same year.

Davenport did it twice, in 1997 and 2000.

In the singles final this time, the wind swirled around the stadium, with both players often tossing the ball to serve only to have to catch it and try again.

Serving on the first point of the tiebreaker, Ivanovic tossed the ball up, it went sailing about a meter (yard) behind her, bounced on the court and kept bouncing away, swept off the court by the wind.

Ivanovic finally served and won the point, but a string of errors cost her the rest of the tiebreaker and plagued her in the second set.

Zvonareva, who won her ninth career singles title and second of the year, made 23 unforced errors, half of Ivanovic's total. Ivanovic also had five double-fault. Zvonareva had one.

Those mistakes negated Ivanovic's winners - she hit 29 to Zvonareva's five. The victory evened Zvonareva's record against Ivanovic to 4-4.

Ivanovic, the defending French Open champion who had two stints at No. 1 last year, was trying to become only the second woman to repeat as Indian Wells champion. Martina Navratilova won the desert event in 1990-91. - AP

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